Program
CHIMICA VERDE LOMBARDIA PER UN FUTURO SOSTENIBILE 2025

Companies operating in Italy in the sectors of organic, inorganic and biomass raw materials, basic chemistry, and fine and specialty chemistry, as well as companies from downstream user sectors, may participate in the expression of interest. These include, by way of example:

− Packaging (bottles, bags, containers);
− Housing and construction (insulation, piping, coatings, cladding, window and door frames, paints, adhesives, air conditioning, safety devices, floor panels, lighting, ...);
− Health and pharmaceuticals (active ingredients, nano- and biotechnologies, medicines, medical gases, medical equipment, prostheses, medical imaging, disinfectants, ...);
− Agriculture and food (fertilizers, agrochemicals, packaging, preservatives, additives, livestock, ...);
− Mobility and transport (lightweight materials, coatings, batteries, catalysts, fuel additives, helmets and protective equipment, bodywork, ...);
− Fashion and textiles (waterproof, windproof, stain-resistant, self-repairing clothing; antimicrobial and anti-allergenic fabrics, ...);
− Electronics and communications (screens, cables, batteries, integrated circuits, inks, printing products, sports equipment, ...);
− Waste and water treatment (drinking water, wastewater treatment, seawater desalination technologies, plastic piping, ...);
− Personal and home care (cosmetics, perfumes, soaps, detergents, bath products, biocides, ...);
− Energy (electrification of industrial and civil processes, alternative and renewable energy sources, ...).

In the expression of interest, applicants shall specify the priority innovation areas in which they seek innovative solutions, as well as the expectations and benefits anticipated to make the chemical sector more sustainable.

Following the expression of interest, a challenge will be launched for university spin-offs, start-ups, and innovative SMEs (established no more than five years ago) through the opening of a dedicated call for startups. Regione Lombardia shall make available awards for the six best ideas capable of addressing innovation needs.

Applicants shall meet the following requirements in order to be eligible for the award:

• be incorporated as a company and have commenced activities (as per the registration date specified in the Chamber of Commerce certificate) no more than 5 years prior;

• have at least one operational office in Lombardy;

• be registered as an innovative enterprise, as evidenced in the Chamber of Commerce certificate.

Alternatively, in cases where the applicants have not yet been incorporated, the winners shall incorporate the company and establish operations in Lombardy by 30 June 2026, and in any case prior to the disbursement of the award.

The awards shall be granted by Regione Lombardia pursuant to Commission Regulation (EU) No. 2831/2023 of 13 December 2023 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid, and in particular Articles 1 (Scope), 2 (Definitions, including the notion of single undertaking), 3 (De minimis aid), 5 (Cumulation) and 6 (Monitoring and reporting). In accordance with Article 14(4) of Ministerial Decree No. 115 of 31 May 2017, where the granting of new de minimis aid would result in exceeding the thresholds referred to in Article 3.2 of the aforementioned Regulation, the award shall be granted only for the residual amount so as to remain within the limits established by the Regulation.

Regulation (EU) No. 2831/2023 shall not apply to export aid nor to aid contingent upon the use of domestic over imported products. In particular, it shall not apply to aid financing the establishment and operation of a distribution network in other Member States or third countries. However, aid relating to costs for studies or consultancy services required for the launch of new products, or for the launch of existing products in a new market in another Member State or third country, shall not normally be considered export aid.

In compliance with the general principles of the De Minimis Regulation:

• the granting of the award shall not apply to enterprises operating in the excluded sectors referred to in Article 1(1) and (2);

• beneficiary enterprises shall submit a self-declaration pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 445/2000 attesting that:

  • they do not fall under the specific exclusions referred to in Article 1 of Regulation (EU) 2831/2023;

  • they provide information on the relationships referred to in points (c) and (d) of Article 2(2) of the aforementioned Regulation (EU) 2831/2023 for the purposes of defining the scope of a single undertaking.

The aid consists of six awards of EUR 25,000 each, non-cumulative, financed by Regione Lombardia and granted to the first-ranked applicant in each of the six thematic verticals identified as a result of the expression of interest.

In addition to the awards, a tutoring service shall be provided by Federated Innovation to the six winners, through the involvement of Cariplo Factory staff, for the assessment of a possible Proof of Concept (PoC) in potential collaboration with companies belonging to the Federated Innovation Network and with enterprises participating in the expression of interest, to be implemented, where possible, within MIND, in order to foster co-innovation processes.

It is specified that all awards shall be granted on the basis of a ranking list within each thematic vertical, according to the criteria set out under the section ‘Evaluation and Assessment’.

The awards shall be granted through a ranking-based evaluation procedure.

The officer in charge of the procedure is the Acting Director of the Unit 'Start-ups, Innovation and Access to Credit for Enterprises' of Regione Lombardia.

The technical evaluation activities shall be carried out by a Jury appointed by Federated Innovation, composed of initiative partners, business angels, early-stage financing specialists, business managers, and sector experts. The Jury shall be coordinated by its Chair, identified as the Acting Director of the Unit 'Start-ups, Innovation and Access to Credit for Enterprises' within the Directorate-General for Economic Development of Regione Lombardia.

The evaluation criteria, which shall be further detailed in the call, are as follows:

• addressing a market need;

• innovativeness of the proposed solution;

• technical feasibility;

• economic sustainability;

• skills and diversity of the team;

• scalability/replicability/transferability of the proposed solution.