The MiSE has established with specific decrees the access methods to the ‘Fund for innovative investments of agricultural enterprises’ SMEs. With the aim of facilitating the purchase of tangible or intangible assets – such as blockchain – to be used in the context of processing and/or marketing of agricultural products (1,2,3).
Fund for innovative investments in agricultural enterprises. Recipients and sectors of intervention
The Fund for innovative investments in agriculture is aimed at agricultural SMEs with a registered office or local unit on the national territory, without previous administrative and/or criminal sanctions. These enterprises must be active both in primary agricultural production and in the processing of agricultural products and their marketing (exclusively direct to the final consumer and carried out in separate premises, dedicated to this purpose).
The sectors of intervention are precisely those of processing and marketing of agricultural products. Enterprises not yet active in the two eligible sectors can activate the relevant ATECO codes by the date of submission of the request, attaching a copy of the related communication.
Amount of contributions and cumulation of benefits
The benefits are granted in the form of a non-repayable grant equal to 30% of eligible expenses, or 40% in cases where expenses concern the purchase of tangible or intangible capital goods provided for in annexes A or B of law 232/2016. (4)
The minimum limit The minimum amount of aid is €5,000, the maximum is €20,000 per beneficiary. It is possible to request an advance not exceeding 50% of the granted aid.
The accumulation The accumulation of the aids under review with other State aid is subject to the limits set by the ABER regulation, which cannot be exceeded even in cases of accumulation with contributions granted under the EAFRD. (5)
Eligible expenses and terms
The investment must be completed within 12 months from the date of grant and maintained for 3 years following the payment of the contribution or installation of the asset. In case of impossibility of use or obsolescence, it is possible to submit a replacement request to MiSE. The following expenses are excluded:
– related to used goods,
– incurred through financial leasing,
– attributable to expense items under €500, VAT included,
– VAT, unless actually incurred by the beneficiary company and non-recoverable,
– related to construction, purchase or lease of buildings or land,
– services and consultancy of any kind,
– taxes and duties, ancillary charges, legal and administrative fees.
Methods and deadlines for submitting applications
The applications for contributions must be submitted via certified email (PEC) (to contributofia@pec.mise.gov.it) from 23.5.22 until 23.6.22. The application, in the form of a substitute declaration of notoriety (DSAN), must be digitally signed by the legal representative or owner of the requesting agricultural enterprise. In case of multiple applications, previous ones are canceled by the last submitted.
The requests for disbursement are always sent via PEC, to the same address, from 30.9.22 until 30.9.23. Attaching all the necessary fiscal documentation for positive evaluation and disbursement of the contribution, entrusted to Invitalia. In case of incomplete or unclear applications, Invitalia will request integration to be responded to within 30 days, under penalty of revocation of the grant.
blockchain
The blockchain is one of the intangible assets that best meets the eligibility criteria for the benefits under consideration, which can cover 40% of the costs. In Annex B to Law 232/2016 the following are included software, systems, platforms and applications aimed at facilitating:
- the dispatching of activities and the routing of products in production systems,
- quality management at the production system level and related processes,
- management systems of the supply-chain aimed at drop shipping in theecommerce.
Wiise Chain is the platform of blockchain public Made in Italy - based on the Bitcoin protocol and the open-source software OpenTimestamps – tailor-made for operators in the agri-food supply chain and related fields. The modular approach of this system is combined with its versatility of use, capable of enhancing the traceability and sustainability of processes and products to share their value with the stakeholders (e.g. buyers, importers, logistics operators, regulatory authorities) and consumers (6,7).
Dario Dongo and Andrea Adelmo Della Penna
Notes
(1) MiSE. Fund for innovative investments of agricultural enterpriseshttps://www.mise.gov.it/index.php/en/incentives/enterprise/fund-for-innovative-investments-in-agricultural-enterprises
(2) MiSE. Implementation methods related to the use of resources of the «Fund for innovative investments of agricultural enterprises» aimed at promoting the realization, by agricultural enterprises, of investments in new tangible and intangible assets instrumental to carrying out the activityOfficial Gazette General Series no. 246 of 14-10-2021, https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2021/10/14/21A05989/sg
(3) MiSE. Director’s decree 2.5.22. Fund for innovative investments of agricultural enterprises – Application submission deadlines. https://bit.ly/37U42Hd
(4) MiSE. Annexes A and B of Law 232/2016. https://www.mise.gov.it/images/stories/normativa/Allegati_DM_imprese_agricole.pdf
(5) Cf. EU regulation no. 1305/2013
(6) Dario Dongo. Agri-food blockchain, from Walmart to the FDA in the USA, Wiise Chain in Italy. Towards Web 3. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 9.2.22, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/blockchain-agroalimentare-da-walmart-alla-fda-in-usa-wiise-chain-in-italia-verso-il-web-3
(7) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Public blockchain and agri-food supply chain, sustainability for producers and consumers. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 28.2.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/blockchain-pubblica-e-filiera-agroalimentare-sostenibilità-per-chi-produce-e-chi-consuma
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduate in Food Technologies and Biotechnologies, certified food technologist, oversees research and development. With particular focus on European research projects (in Horizon 2020, PRIMA) where the FARE division of WIISE S.r.l. benefit company participates.
