Sistema Puglia - Il portale per lo sviluppo e la promozione del territorio e delle imprese - Regione Puglia - Assessorato allo Sviluppo Economico

Regional Programme Contracts - Information sheet -

Type of incentive

Regional Programme Contracts are part of a range of flexible investment schemes, designed to facilitate new business investments, available from the Apulia Regional Government, through the regional in-house agency Puglia Sviluppo.

Regional Programme Contracts represent the primary grant scheme in support of major capital investment projects for investors who create new jobs and safeguard existing jobs, contributing to the consolidation or recovery of existing industrial activities and/or to the creation of new business in the region.

Types of eligible investments

Regional Programme Contracts support investments projects for existing businesses already located in Apulia or for new businesses to be located within the region, aimed at the following types of initiative:

• setting up a new production unit;
• expanding an existing production unit;
• new product development within an existing production unit;
• introducing substantial changes to the overall production process within an existing production unit.

Investment limits

Funding is available for investment projects with overall eligible expenditure and costs falling within the range between 5 million and 100 million Euros.

Who can apply: beneficiaries

• Large enterprises (a large sized enterprise is a company which employs at least 250 employees or which produces an annual turnover in excess of 50 million Euros);
• SME's that participate in a Regional Programme Contract initiative presented by a large enterprise. In this case, at least the 50% of the total eligible costs which form the overall investment programme must be submitted on behalf of the large enterprise, whilst each of the participating SMEs must submit eligible costs of no less than 1 million Euros.

Eligible sectors

Almost all manufacturing businesses (ATECO - Classification of economic activity code - Letter "C") are eligible, although the European Commission restricts assistance in the following areas which are not currently eligible:

• 12.0 Tobacco industry;
• 20.6 Manufacture of fibre;
• 24.1 Iron and steel;
• 24.2 Manufacturing of tubes, pipes, hollow profiles and related accessories in steel (excluding those cast steel);
• 30.11.02 Shipyards for metal constructions and non-metallic (excluding seats);
• 33.15 Repairs and maintenance of ships and boats (excluding engines), only for the repair and maintenance of ships.

In addition, some fishery and agricultural products are subject to restrictions. A full list of the eligible ATECO activity codes is available on the following website: http://www.sistema.puglia.it/SistemaPuglia/contrattidiprogramma

Eligible sectors

• Investments in eligible “tangible assets” (purchase of land; construction works and similar; machinery and plant facilities; computer programmes; patents), including feasibility studies and works management, only for participating SMEs
• Investments in eligible research activities (research related to industrial or experimental R & D)
• Investments in consultancy services, only for participating SME’s, for:
• technological and business innovation, including quality control, environmental policy, social responsibility and ethical certification
• e-business practices
• environmental protection and energy savings measures
• international marketing and international business development programmes
• Investments, only for participating SME’s, for taking part in trade fairs

Level of funding for investments in “tangible assets”

Funding is available, depending on the type of costs involved, as set out below:

• 15% - 25% for large enterprises;
• 20% - 35% for medium-sized enterprises;
• 25% - 45% for small enterprises.

Level of funding for investments in “tangible assets”

Funding is available, depending on the type of costs involved, as set out below:

1. Investments in industrial research (for a total of up to 20 million Euros per project, for large companies; for a total of up to 10 million Euros per project, for medium-sized companies; for a total of up to 5 million Euros per project, for small enterprises):
• 50% for large enterprises;
• 60% for medium-sized enterprises;
• 70% for small enterprises.
2. Investments in experimental development (for a total of up to 15 million per project, for large companies; for a total of up to 7.5 million Euros per project, for medium-sized companies; for a total of up to 3.5 million Euros per project, for small enterprises):
• 25% for large enterprises;
• 35% for medium-sized enterprises;
• 45% for small enterprises.
3. Technical feasibility studies, only for participating SMEs (for a total of up to 1 million Euros per project, for medium-sized companies; for a total of up to 0.5 million Euros per project, for small enterprises): 50%.
4. Patents and other industrial property rights, only for participating SMEs (for a total of up to 4 million Euros per project, for medium-sized companies; for a total of up to 2 million Euros per project, for small enterprises): 50%.

Level of funding for consultancy services

Funding is available, only for participating SMEs, depending on the type of costs involved, as set out below:

• Investments in consultancy services for business innovation (for a total of up to 7.5 million Euros per project): 50%;
• Investments in other consultancy services (for a total of up to 2 million Euros per project): 45 - 50%
• Investments for the participation in trade fairs (for a total of up to 2 million Euros per project, up to 100,000 Euros per participating company): 45 – 50%.

Regulatory reference

Art. 17 Regional Regulation n. 17/2014

How to apply

Applications must be submitted electronically, in Italian, through the website www.sistema.puglia.it, following the procedure in the specific section “Contratti di Programma” (Regional Programme Contracts)

Additional information

Additional information is available on the following websites: www.pugliasviluppo.eu - www.sistema.puglia.it
or by contacting
Puglia Sviluppo SpA
Tel: +39 080 5498811 - E-mail: fdi@pugliasviluppo.it

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