Iniziatives for small and medium sized enterprises
The interventions of the Ministry of Economic Development for small and medium-sized enterprises are aimed at achieving the following objectives:
- Targeted professional qualification;
- Closer links between universities, research centers and SMEs to increase the quality of technology transfer processes;
- A new program of incentives to encourage and further stimulate innovation through the economic exploitation of patents.
In a press release dated 7 August 2015, the Ministry informs that the interventions have the general purpose of relaunching the competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and will start by the end of August.
The initiatives are part of the Directorate General against Counterfeiting - Italian Office Patents and trademarks, and provide, in particular:
- A loan of 3 million euro to upgrade the technology transfer offices of universities and public research institutions. The facility will support the presence of additional staff for the development of relations between universities and companies and for the dissemination of technology in the possession of the University at the business system;
- The launch of a new program of subsidies (Patents +2) to further promote the economic value of patents, technology transfer and innovation of SMEs, through the extension of the beneficiaries (in addition to the micro, small and medium enterprises ; corporations as a result of the creation of spin offs / academic, with the participation of capital from the entity level) and more support in financial terms, in particular, to spin off from 70 to 140 thousand euro, not more than 80% of eligible costs, or 100% in the case of university spin-offs;
- The launch of a second level Master which will start next November, in 'Open innovation & Intellectual property' made by the General Directorate for Combating Counterfeiting in collaboration with the University of Turin and the Luiss Business School, It provides funding for 15 scholarships, covering almost full cost.
