The call for proposals approved by the Veneto Regional Government with Resolution No. 729 dated June 26, 2024, aims to strengthen research and development activities carried out in synergy between companies and research organizations, to promote growth and innovation within the regional economic system.
The call provides funding for industrial research and experimental development projects implemented by partnerships formed by companies and research organizations, organized within the Regional Innovative Networks (RIR) or Industrial Districts. The total amount of resources allocated for this call is €42,187,500.00, of which €31,250,000.00 are non-repayable grants and €10,937,500.00 are subsidized loans.
BENEFICIARIES
The following entities are eligible to benefit from the incentives provided by the call:
- Companies are duly established, registered, and active in the business register at the competent local Chamber of Commerce. Foreign companies are also eligible, provided they have a registered office in a European Union Member State.
- Professionals with an active VAT number.
- Research organizations registered on the regional Innoveneto portal in the “Supplier Catalog” section by the application deadline, and with a site in Veneto where the R&D activities will be carried out.
Companies and professionals must be members of the Euteknos Network or belong to an Industrial District by the application deadline. Additional participation by companies not belonging to the District is allowed, up to 20% of the participating companies, if necessary for specific project activities.
ELIGIBLE PROJECTS
Eligible projects are research and development projects, including industrial research and experimental development, or applied research activities. Project activities must fall within Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3 to 6.
Research and development projects must align with the thematic areas and trajectories identified in the “Smart Specialization Strategy (S3) of the Veneto Region 2021-2027.” The project must fall within at least one thematic area and identify at least one technological trajectory related to that area; it may also indicate one or more “Cross-cutting Drivers” (such as “Digital Transformation,” “Green Transition,” “Human Capital,” “Innovation Services and Business Models”) and/or “Strategic Missions” (such as “Bioeconomy” and “Space Economy”). R&D projects must also highlight any synergies with interregional, cross-border, and transnational actions.
ELIGIBLE EXPENSES
For the implementation of projects, the following types of expenses are eligible:
- Personnel costs
Eligible costs include those related to researchers and technical staff (excluding administrative personnel) employed in the R&D project. Also eligible are coordinated and continuous collaboration contracts, research grants and scholarships, as well as doctoral scholarships awarded by public research organizations, provided they are exclusively dedicated to the R&D project. Personnel expenses funded by the non-repayable grant will be accounted for using a standard unit cost table, while those funded by subsidized loans will be quantified based on the individual worker’s hourly cost, according to the applicable National Collective Labor Agreement (CCNL). - Use of instrumental goods
Eligible costs include those related to tangible and intangible instruments and equipment, to the extent and for the period they are used for the R&D project. If instruments and equipment are not used for the entire project lifecycle, depreciation costs and lease or rental fees corresponding to the project duration are eligible, calculated according to generally accepted accounting principles. - Use of real estate
Eligible costs include those related to buildings, to the extent and for the period they are used for the R&D project. Depreciation costs and lease or rental fees for company real estate corresponding to the project duration are eligible, calculated according to generally accepted accounting principles. - Acquisition of knowledge and patents
Eligible costs include contractual research, knowledge, and patents acquired or licensed from external sources under conditions different from normal market terms. - Technical and scientific consulting
Eligible costs include consultancy and equivalent services used exclusively for the R&D project. - Operating costs
Eligible costs include materials, supplies, and similar products directly attributable to the R&D project, including costs for purchasing components for prototypes, pilot lines, and plants, and materials for testing sessions. - Patent registration and protection of intangible assets
Eligible costs include those for the validation and protection of patents and other intangible assets, but only for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). - Additional overhead costs
Indirect costs of the R&D project are eligible, quantified at 7% of the total project expenses incurred with non-repayable grant funding.
For expenses to be eligible, they must:
- Be incurred and paid from the day following the submission of the application for incentives and exclusively by the beneficiary of the incentives via a bank account registered in their name and under their control. In the case of companies, only expenses directly attributable to the company are eligible;
- Be reasonable and relevant to the proposed project, as well as directly attributable, necessary, and functional to the activities outlined in the project;
- Refer to assets used in the operational units benefiting from the incentives, except for certain instrumental goods that, due to their function in the production or service delivery cycle, are located elsewhere but within spaces made available to the company or research organization involved in the project.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For more information about the call or to actively participate, please contact us at the email address info@euteknos.it or call +39 0429 603233.
