“Non-repayable grants for industrial innovation: an unmissable opportunity for SMEs and Startups within the framework of Industry 4.0”
MADE call for the selection of innovation, industrial research and experimental development projects.
This call for proposals offers non-repayable grants to fund industrial research, experimental development, and feasibility study projects to be carried out within 12 months, with the aim of encouraging the provision of advanced and innovative technological services to businesses, especially SMEs, focusing on technologies and manufacturing specializations of excellence.
Who can apply for the grant
Microenterprises and startups, SMEs, medium enterprises, large enterprises, and consortia duly established as corporate entities and registered in the Business Register may submit an application;
Available financial allocation and funding rules
The total amount of resources allocated for the non-repayable grants is €12,500,000.00. The maximum contribution requested for the grant of each innovation project may not exceed the value of €400,000.00. The grants, awarded in the form of non-repayable financing, will be consistent with the following aid intensities:
• Funding of 50 % of eligible expenses dedicated to industrial research activities (as described in Article 25 of the GBER Regulation). This intensity may be increased up to a maximum intensity of 70 % of eligible costs as follows: 1) by 20 percentage points for small enterprises; 2) by 10 percentage points for medium-sized enterprises;
• Funding of 50 % of eligible expenses related to feasibility studies (as described in Article 25 of the GBER Regulation). This intensity may be increased up to a maximum of 70 % of eligible costs as follows: 1) by 20 percentage points for small enterprises; 2) by 10 percentage points for medium-sized enterprises;
• Funding of 25% of eligible expenses for experimental development activities (as described in Article 25 of the GBER Regulation); This aid intensity may be increased up to a maximum of 45 % of eligible costs as follows: 1) by 20 percentage points for small enterprises; 2) by 10 percentage points for medium-sized enterprises;
Eligible interventions and deductible expenses
Projects must be finalized and consistent with the activities of: industrial research, experimental development, and feasibility studies. Each company or aggregation of companies may submit a project proposal, each of which must be consistent with at least one of the project activities listed below: Technology transfer activities
• Industry 4.0 Strategy: implementation of a digital technology adoption plan and strategic skills to ensure a company's evolution towards Industry 4.0 in terms of process efficiency and effectiveness, consistently with corporate objectives;
• Innovation projects: industrial research, experimental development, and innovation projects (product, process, or organizational models) necessary to support the translation of innovative ideas into demonstrable concepts, also through the use of the 6 Areas and 25 technological Assets available in MADE; • Demos and testing: development of demos, prototypes, Proof of Concepts (PoCs), and Test-Beds in the field of Industry 4.0, using technical, technological, and methodological environments and tools, as well as know-how available in the 6 Areas and 25 technological Assets present in MADE;
• Technology scouting: identification of the most suitable technologies and technology partners to develop product and process innovation, defining a corporate technology strategy consistent with the trends characterizing the sector;
• Technology Consulting: consulting activities and feasibility studies aimed at the implementation of technological, organizational, and managerial solutions designed to improve business processes from an Industry 4.0 perspective;
• Validation of Industry 4.0 projects: evaluation of the adequacy of technologies, methodologies, and execution of innovation projects with respect to the set objectives and the state of the art. Access to instrumentation and technological islands
• Access to MADE's technological infrastructure and technologies: Provision of a wide range of services such as equipment rental, provision of technological infrastructure for platforms, laboratory facilities, and production support for testing and prototyping. Project activities must refer exclusively to Industry 4.0 and specifically to the following technical fields:
1 product design, engineering, and development;
2 production planning, progress control, and real-time monitoring;
3 digital technologies for product end-of-life management;
4 energy control and monitoring;
5 digital tools supporting circular economy and sustainability methodologies
6 product tracing and quality management;
7 digital operator support systems;
8 technologies and digital systems for the simulation of industrial processes;
9 technology and additive process;
10 collaborative robotics;
11 Industrial Cyber Security;
12 digital tools supporting Maintenance 4.0 policies;
13 digital tools supporting Lean 4.0 policies;
14 Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics;
15 internal logistics and traceability;
16 Digital tools and solutions based on the integration of 5G networks and emerging technologies in the industrial sector. For the purpose of quantifying the financial support, the following expense items are eligible for funding:
• personnel costs: researchers, technicians, and other support staff to the extent that they are employed on the project (these costs may not exceed 30% of the total value of the project proposal);
• Costs related to newly acquired instruments and equipment, to the extent and for the period during which they are used for the project. If the instruments and equipment are not used for the entire project duration, only the depreciation costs corresponding to the project duration, calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, are considered eligible (these costs may not exceed 30% of the total project proposal costs);
• expenses for contract research, knowledge, and patents acquired or licensed from external sources under normal market conditions (these expenses must be entirely dedicated to utilizing the expertise and equipment that MADE has acquired for the development and implementation of projects. Furthermore, they must represent at least 70% of the total cost of the innovation project);
• Expenses related to consulting services and equivalent services used exclusively for the purposes of the project submitted by the company (these must be dedicated entirely to leveraging the expertise and tools that MADE has acquired for the development and implementation of projects. Furthermore, they must represent at least 70% of the total cost of the innovation project). Projects must have a total duration of no more than 12 months, starting from the date the contract is signed.
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