Revitalizing Southern Italy: The Launch of Mini Development Contracts for Advanced Technologies

The Council of Ministers, under the leadership of the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, has introduced a new initiative called ‘Mini development contracts’ in the Cohesion Legislative Decree. With an initial funding of 300 million euros, this measure aims to encourage medium-sized productive investments ranging from 5 to 20 million euros.

This tool will be available to any business, regardless of size, as long as the investments are linked to advanced technologies outlined in the new EU STEP regulation. Initially, the ‘Mini development contracts’ will be available exclusively in Southern Regions to promote the development of digital and ‘deep tech’ technologies. This will strengthen local production chains and support the transition to a greener and more digital economy.

The focus will be on green technologies, biotechnologies, and critical medicines as defined in the EU list, along with their components. Minister Urso is optimistic about the effectiveness of these contracts, emphasizing how they can be a critical opportunity to revitalize the economy of southern regions, attract new investments and drive technological innovation in Italian industrial landscape.

Existing measures that support investments exceeding 20 million euros within PNRR have also been complemented by this new initiative.