PIA 2024: Non-Repayable Grants for SMEs and Startups in Puglia
Everything You Need to Know About the Integrated Incentive Programme Backed by Regione Puglia
If you’re a small or medium-sized business or an innovative startup looking to grow in Puglia, the PIA 2024 programme could provide the financial boost you need. Backed by Regione Puglia and managed by Puglia Sviluppo, this initiative offers a powerful mix of grants and incentives to support innovation, R&D, energy transition, and digital transformation.
What Is the PIA Programme?
PIA (Programma Integrato di Agevolazioni) is a rolling funding scheme designed to help local businesses scale through integrated support packages. Now refinanced for 2024, it offers non-repayable grants to businesses with projects based in Puglia that meet specific innovation and growth criteria.
With €55 million in total funding allocated from the PR PUGLIA FESR-FSE+ 2021–2027 programme, this is one of the most competitive public incentives available for eligible SMEs and startups in the region.
Who Can Apply?
The programme is open to:
1. Medium-sized enterprises
Must have at least two approved balance sheets at the time of application.
2. Small enterprises
Must operate under ordinary accounting rules.
Must have at least two approved balance sheets.
Must have an average turnover of at least €1 million over the last three years and at least 10 full-time employees in the 12 months before applying.
3. Innovative startups and SMEs, if:
In partnership with eligible SMEs as defined above.
Or independently, if they meet one of the following:
Have developed an R&D project that generated a significantly improved product or service (TRL 4+).
Have secured co-financing to industrialise a high-TRL project (TRL 7+).
Have successfully completed a TecnoNidi project and qualify under one of the previous two criteria.
4. Inactive companies
May apply if controlled by an eligible small or medium-sized company taking full responsibility for the investment programme.
Note: Projects must be located in Puglia and demonstrate a commitment to job creation and retention in the region, with a focus on inclusive hiring (e.g. women in the workforce). This commitment must be upheld for at least three years after project completion.
Funding and Grant Amounts
Each Integrated Incentive Programme must involve eligible investments of at least €1 million. Maximum eligible costs vary depending on company size and type:
Up to €50M for medium-sized businesses
Up to €40M for small businesses
Up to €20M for standalone innovative startups or SMEs
Between €0.5M and €5M for innovative startups/SMEs in partnership
Grants can cover between 40% and 70% of costs, depending on the type of expenditure and the applicant’s profile.
Eligible Activities and Costs
Your project can include a mix of the following:
Industrial research and experimental development
(Up to €40M per programme)Innovation projects
Innovation for SMEs (Up to €3M)
Process and organisational innovation (Up to €5M)
Productive investments
(e.g. creating or expanding production sites, diversifying output)Training programmes
(Up to €2M – must align with Puglia’s Smart Specialisation Strategy)Environmental sustainability and energy transition
(Up to €10M)Specialist consulting and internationalisation
Advisory services (Up to €0.5M)
Trade fair participation (Up to €0.5M)
Strategic Focus Areas
Projects must fall within at least one of Puglia’s regional innovation priority areas:
Environmental sustainability and circular economy
ICT and life sciences
Blue growth and marine economy
And within one or more of these strategic industries:
Advanced manufacturing, automation and electronics
Aerospace
Automotive
Agri-food
Home and design systems
Fashion
Health and life sciences
Cultural, tourism and creative industries
Energy and environmental systems
Excluded Sectors
The following industries are not eligible:
Fishing and aquaculture
Primary agricultural production
Coal and steel
Shipbuilding
Synthetic fibres
Landfills and waste disposal
Energy production and distribution
Transport and related infrastructure
Agricultural transformation and marketing (in specific cases)
