Support for the recruitment of managers in SMEs – ERDF Call for Proposals No. 1/2024

This is a non-repayable grant under the 2021–2027 ERDF Programme, aimed at supporting projects that develop a company’s specialist skills in the province’s smart specialisation (S3) areas and which involvethe recruitment of a manager by an SME.

The grant is governed bythe Call for Applications and bythe general provisions common to all measures under Provincial Law 6/2023.

Eligible initiatives

To qualify for the incentive, a project must be submitted relating to at leastone of the four areas of Trentino’s Provincial Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) and involving the recruitment of a manager under a permanent employment contract.

The requirements for the manager are as follows:

• they must be a highly qualified professional with advanced and specialist skillsin the design and/or management of projects aimed at the growth and/or promotion of the company’s competitiveness, innovation, digitalisation, sustainability, etc., with a view to strengthening the company’s capabilities in the provincial S3 specialisation areas;
• they must have at least five years’professional experience in the activities for which the project is being submitted; 
• must be employed under a permanentor fixed-term employment contractlasting at least two years and, in any case, for a duration consistent with the timeframe set for the project’s implementation;
• the candidate must hold a position no lower than that of a middle manager.

Please refer to point 3(b)of the Notice for the definition of ‘Manager’ and to point 6 ofthe Notice for the timetable setting out the deadlines.

Eligible expenditure and funding

Theminimum eligible expenditure is at least 200,000 euros.

The incentive amount is equal to 50 per cent of the eligible expenditure, up to a maximum of €150,000.

Expenditure strictly related to the implementation of the project is eligible, as specified below:

• the gross cost of the manager’sremuneration payable by the employer, as defined in point 3(c) ofthe Notice;
• overheads calculated by applying a flat rate of 7 per cent to the costs referred to in the previous point, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/1060.

For further information on eligible expenditure, please refer to point 7 ofthe Notice.

The operational unit operating within the province mustbe duly registered with the Companies Register by the date the initiative commences (i.e. the date on which the manager’s employment contract is signed). 

Within 30 days of the date on which the investigating authoritynotifies the grant decision, beneficiaries are required to send the following to Trentino Sviluppo via certified email (PEC):

• the contract entered into with the appointed manager;
• an internal service order stipulating that the manager is to carry out their professional duties for the implementation of the project funded by the 2021–2027 ERDF Programme, also specifying the project’s CUP number.

In return for the grant received, the company must comply with a series of obligations, as set out in point 14 ofthe Notice.

A summary of the main communication requirements applicable to beneficiaries of the 2021–2027 ERDF Programme calls for proposals can be found atthefollowinglink.

Applications may be submitted by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs):

• which meet the requirements set out in point 3, paragraph 5 of the general provisions common to all measures under Provincial Law 6/2023;
• which are duly registered and active in the Register of Companies as at no later than 31 December 2023;
• which have one of the ATECO codes listed in Annex 1 of the general provisions applicable to all measures under Provincial Law 6/2023, as recorded in the Register of Companies (see the list of ‘exclusions’ in point 4.1 ofthe Notice).

For further information, please refer to point 4 ofthe Notice.

Assessment criteria

Applications will be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis, and projects will be awarded scores in accordance with the criteria set outin point 9of the Notice(general eligibility criteria, specific eligibility criteria, assessment criteria and bonus criteria).

Applications are eligible if they achieve a minimum threshold of at least 60 points.

The assessing bodyisTRENTINO SVILUPPO S.P.A.

Application submission and deadlines

Applications may be submitted, including via a representative,from 3.00 pm on 28 November 2024via the portal available below.

Full instructions on how to submit an application for the incentive via the platform are available in this manual:

USER MANUAL FOR SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS – SIFESR portal (ERDF Notice 1/2024: Recruitment of managers in SMEs)

To submit an application, you must have adigital identity system(SPID) or anelectronic identity card (CIE).

TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THE PLATFORM

Anytechnical issues relating tothe use of the platform must be reported by email toassistenzafesrtn@performer.it, specifying your name, the company’s tax code, telephone number and application reference number (if available).
Technical support is availablefrom Monday to Friday, from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm(excluding public holidays).

Please refer to the timetable set out in point 6 ofthe Notice.