Italy announces major investment funds for SMEs in Mezzogiorno and Sardinia

Various regional and national investment funds have been announced to support businesses across Italy. In the Mezzogiorno region, the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, supported by Invitalia, has launched the ‘Sustainable Investments 4.0’ initiative. This program allocates over 447 million euros to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in regions such as Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sicily, and Sardinia enhance their technological capital and digital competitiveness.

Specifically, the Molise region has introduced the ‘STEP Molise’ notice, providing more than 43.8 million euros for strategic technologies. This funding is split between deep tech, digital, and biotechnology (approximately 25.7 million euros) and clean technologies (approximately 18.1 million euros), covering sectors like artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and the circular economy.

In Sardinia, the Business Competitiveness Fund has made 42.5 million euros available for new investments. These market-rate loans, ranging from 100,000 to 5 million euros, target micro, small, medium, and large enterprises for projects involving new business creation, expansion, or restructuring. The fund includes 20 million euros from the PR Sardegna FESR 2021-2027 program.