Italian R&D aid scheme authorised by Commission
The European Commission has elected to allow an Italian bill permitting the allocation of grants to R&D projects at the pre-competitive stage. The new system replaces an existing scheme set up in 1982 by the Fondo Speciale Rotativo per la Ricerca Tecnologica (F.I.T.) and approved by the Commission in 1992 following Italy's adoption of various Commission proposals. The scheme will run for 10 years with a budget of 400 million euro per year. Beneficiaries include industrial, craft and service enterprises, research infrastructures operated jointly by the former, public and private consortia with a majority stake owned by enterprises and financial intermediaries. Supplementary aid will also be granted to SMEs, backward regions and projects carried out under the scope of the Community R&D Framework, projects involving at least two Member States and projects involving cooperation with universities or research bodies.