SMEs: Register of Innovative Companies

Do you want to register with the Register of Innovative Companies?

In order to support technological innovations within the national productive fabric, the Decree Law 3/2015 (Investment Compact) has extended a large part of the measures already envisaged in favor of innovative startups to a much wider range of companies: innovative SMEs, that is to say all small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the field of technological innovation, regardless of the date of incorporation, the corporate purpose and the level of maturity.

Are you an Innovative SME?

In order to take advantage of the benefits provided, it is necessary to register with the register of innovative SMEs and to be able to register, the SME must meet the following requirements:

  • have the main office of their business and interests in Italy;
  • the shares must not be listed on a regulated market;
  • the company must have already filed a certified balance sheet with the Business Register;
  • the annual turnover must not exceed 50 million euros or the annual balance sheet total must not exceed 43 million euros;
  • the employees of the company must be less than 250;
  • the company must have at least two of these requirements:
    • volume of expenditure on research, development and innovation in an amount equal to or greater than 3% of the greater amount between cost and total value of the production of the innovative SME. The cost of research, development and innovation does not include expenses for the purchase and rental of real estate; the calculation includes expenses for the purchase of highly innovative technologies. For the purposes of this decree, in addition to the provisions of the accounting principles, the following must also be included among the expenses in research, development and innovation: expenses relating to pre-competitive and competitive development, such as experimentation, prototyping and development of the industrial plan; expenses related to incubation services provided by certified incubators as defined in Article 25, paragraph 5, of the decree-law of 18 October 2012, no. 179, converted, with amendments, by law 17 December 2012, n. 221; gross costs of internal staff and external consultants employed in research, development and innovation activities, including shareholders and directors; legal fees for the registration and protection of intellectual property, terms and licenses of use. The expenses result from the last approved budget and are described in the explanatory notes;
    • employment as employees or collaborators in any capacity, in a percentage equal to or greater than one fifth of the total workforce, of personnel holding a PhD or who is pursuing a PhD at an Italian or foreign university, or in possession of a degree and who has carried out, for at least three years, certified research activity at public or private research institutes, in Italy or abroad, or, in a percentage equal to or greater than one third of the total workforce , of personnel in possession of a master's degree in accordance with article 3 of the decree of the Minister of Education, University and Research 22 October 2004, n. 270;
    • ownership, also as depositories or licensees of at least one industrial property, relating to an industrial or biotechnological invention, a semiconductor product topography or a new plant variety or ownership of the rights relating to an original computer program registered with the special public register for computer programs, provided that this right is directly related to the corporate purpose and business activity.