Promoted by the Ministry of Economic Development and managed by Invitalia, the Smart Money measure has a budget of €9.5 million and aims to facilitate connections between innovative startups and the innovation ecosystem to support them in defining their business projects and preparing for market entry.

Companies may apply for a non-repayable grant to support the purchase of services provided by accredited entities (e.g., incubators, accelerators, research organisations, and innovation hubs).

Proposals must outline activity plans to be implemented over at least 12 months and demonstrate how the use of specialised services can accelerate project development. The incentive provides a non-repayable grant of up to €10,000, which may cover up to 80% of eligible expenses.

Furthermore, upon completion of the activity plan, startups may apply for a second round of funding, provided that accredited entities, qualified investors, or business angels have made equity investments in the share capital. For this intervention line, an additional non-repayable grant equal to 100% of the venture capital investment is available, up to a total limit of €30,000.

Possono presentare domanda di agevolazione le startup innovative costituite da meno di 24 mesi e iscritte alla sezione speciale del registro delle imprese. Devono avere sede in Italia, essere di piccole dimensioni e trovarsi in una delle seguenti fasi di sviluppo:

• business start-up, testing of the business idea;
• testing the final market to gauge interest in the product/service.

Anche le persone fisiche possono presentare domanda di finanziamento, con l’impegno di costituire la società dopo l’eventuale ammissione alle agevolazioni.

The application portal is scheduled to open on 24 June at 12:00.

For further information, click here.