The Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy has issued two decrees for the allocation of 108 million euros in order to refinance "Smart&Start Italy", an incentive that supports the creation and growth of innovative start-ups.
The measure facilitates business projects to produce goods and services in the field of the digital economy, artificial intelligence, blockchain and internet of things. The incentive, managed on behalf of the Ministry by Invitalia, is aimed at small innovative start-ups, formed by no more than 60 months, groups of people who want to set up an innovative startup and foreign companies that are committed to establishing at least one office in Italy. Projects can also be implemented in collaboration with research organisations, incubators, business accelerators and Digital Innovation Hub.
Specifically, the decrees signed by the Minister allocate: 8 million euros of the Fund for sustainable growth, to the investments of innovative start-ups located in the regions of Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Marche and Abruzzo and 100 million euros of the "Research, Innovation and Competitiveness for the 2021-2027 green and digital transition" National Programme to innovative entrepreneurial initiatives in the regions of Molise, Campania, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia.