Como, 23 February 2018 - With the aim of increasing the participation of local companies in European funding programmes, ComoNExT – Innovation Hub hosted the event “Europe for the growth of your business. Tools, incentives and success stories” yesterday afternoon, organised by Unindustria Como, Confindustria Lecco and Sondrio, Confindustria Lombardia, ComoNExT and Enterprise Europe Network.

During the workshop, selected by the European Commission as one of the 6 Italian events for “EU Industry Week”, the new calls for the final three-year period of the European programme Horizon 2020 were presented, for which the European Commission has allocated 30 billion euros in non-repayable grants for the development of innovation and business growth.

Unindustria Como and Confindustria Lecco and Sondrio, also thanks to their Brussels office, have long been active in bringing local businesses closer to European Union funding opportunities. “We are proud to host this event in the home of research and innovation,” commented Antonello Regazzoni, Director General of Unindustria Como. “Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of our country, and our goal is to support them on their growth paths. In this sense, the European Horizon 2020 calls represent an important opportunity: it is a competitive programme, but our associations are structured to support and accompany companies along this journey.” This approach is shared by Giulio Sirtori, Director General of Confindustria Lecco and Sondrio, who stated: “Our focus on Europe and, in particular, on aspects of EU funding, has encouraged the participation of companies in our area in these programmes, resulting in eleven successful project proposals for Lecco and Sondrio alone.”

During the afternoon, Nicoletta Amodio and Leonardo Pinna, representing Confindustria and the Confindustria Delegation to the EU respectively, illustrated the tools available under Horizon 2020 and the procedures for preparing for and participating in the calls. “Research and innovation,” explained Nicoletta Amodio, “are the foundation of development. This was also reiterated at last week’s assembly: industrial development is the tool for creating prosperity and responding to social challenges. European programmes aim to make the industrial system competitive and, in doing so, provide a solution to the needs of citizens.”

Antonio Carbone from APRE then detailed the characteristics of the SME instrument, a funding scheme specifically designed for small and medium-sized enterprises, which is highly valued for being closely aligned with the real needs of businesses. At the end of the workshop, company experiences were presented, featuring success stories from the SME Instrument programme, 3bee and CoSTAMP.

The choice of ComoNExT as the venue for the event is motivated by the range of opportunities and innovation services that the Science and Technology Park based in Lomazzo is able to offer businesses, which earned it the recent recognition as the Como branch of the Digital Innovation Hub Lombardia, established within Confindustria Lombardia. “The Park,” explained Enrico Lironi, President of ComoNExT, “does not just host companies; it aims to be a source of potential to meet all the needs for improvement in the region. Our companies are predominantly small and medium-sized, but they have a great path ahead of them.”

All the organisations promoting the event collaborate on the topics covered and integrate their expertise to offer companies support ranging from project focus and guidance on funding opportunities to business incubation and the search for international technology partners.