Grants for the recruitment of researchers and research technicians – Provincial Law 6/2023

This incentive scheme supports the recruitment by companies of highly qualified staff seconded by a research and knowledge dissemination organisation or by a large seconding company engaged in research and development (formerly ‘Aid for the dissemination of scientific research’ – Provincial Law 6/1999).

The recruitment of highly qualified staff by the company must take place after the date on which the application is submitted.
   

What is funded

The scheme covers the costs incurred in securing the secondment of highly qualified staff.

The highly qualified staff must fill a newly created role within the company and must not replace existing staff.

Highly qualified staff must carry out duties relating to at least one of the following activities:

• basic research;
• industrial research;
• experimental research;
• process innovation.

The costs incurred and the work carried out by the highly qualified staff must be set out in the secondment agreement entered into between the company applying for the incentive and the research and knowledge dissemination body or the large company providing the secondment.

Applications are assessed through an evaluation procedure.
   

Incentive

The incentive amounts to 50 per cent of the eligible expenditure.

The incentive is granted under an exemption scheme pursuant to Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014.
   

Expenditure limits

• The minimum eligible expenditure must exceed 20,000 euros.
• The maximum eligible expenditure is 240,000 euros.

There is also a maximum annual eligible expenditure of 80,000 euros per full-time equivalent, and in any case for a maximum period of 36 months during which highly qualified staff are seconded.
   

Highly qualified staff, seconded to the company, must work at an operational unit located within the Province of Trento and commence work within 3 months of the date on which the incentive is granted.

The integration of highly qualified staff into the company must be completed within 3 years of the date the initiative commences.

The operational unit in which the initiative covered by the incentive is carried out must meet specific requirements (see point 3, paragraph 8, of the general provisions common to all measures).

Further obligations are set out in the general provisions common to all interventions and in the specific provisions for individual interventions relating to the support measure ‘Aid for the recruitment of researchers and research technicians in companies’.

Small and medium-sized enterprises that meet the requirements set out in the specific provisions of the individual schemes relating to the support measure ‘Aid for the recruitment of researchers and research technicians in companies’, or in the general provisions common to all schemes.

Applications may be submitted from 1 January to 31 December each year.

If an application has already been submitted under this support scheme, a new application may only be submitted after the date on which the previous supported project has been completed.

The application must be submitted to the processing body – the Provincial Agency for the Promotion of Economic Activities (APIAE) – via certified email (PEC) to the following address: apiae.incentivi@pec.provincia.tn.it.

• Insurance contract covering damage directly caused by natural disasters and catastrophic events occurring within the national territory, to the assets specified in paragraph 1 of Article 2424 of the Civil Code (Assets section, item B-II, numbers 1), 2) and 3)), pursuant to Law No. 213/2023 (Article 1, paragraphs 101 et seq., as amended by Article 13 of Decree-Law No. 202/2024 and by Article 1 of Decree-Law No. 39/2025), in accordance with the general provisions common to all measures under Provincial Law No. 6/2023 (point 3, paragraph 5, letter r)).

  An insurance policy is required asa conditionof eligibility for applications submitted from:

  • 30 June 2025, for large enterprises;
  • 2 October 2025, for medium-sized enterprises;
  • 1 January 2026, for small enterprises.

  Compliance with the obligation to take out an insurance policy is also required for incentive applications submitted before the aforementioned deadlines but for which approval is granted after those dates.

• Inclusion of the unique project code - The CUPmust be included on invoicesissued from 1 June 2023 and relating to grant applications submitted from 22 April 2023, in accordance with the operational guidelines set out inProvincial Council Resolution No. 728 of 23 May 2024.

• Preliminary assessment: The preliminary assessment process begins on the day following the date on which the application is submitted. The decision to grant the application is taken following the issuance of a binding opinion by the competent body responsible for research matters.
     
• Payment: The grant is paid by the assessing body following the submission of a statement of expenditure incurred by the company applying for the grant and the receipt of a declaration certifying compliance with the obligations and conditions, now expired, to which the company is subject. For the purposes of payment, the processing body also obtains the binding opinion of the competent research body.

Please check the FAQs for further information in the ‘Further information’ section.