Emilia-Romagna Region co-finances and facilitates the inflow of selected domestic and foreign investments into the territory and towards regional enterprises.
The opening of national economies, the pervasive impact of ICT technologies, the restructuring, digitization and servitisation of productive processes, the growing importance of automated processes and artificial intelligence. Within such globalized context, the capacity of attracting and retaining the strategic phases of production processes and highly skilled human resources, is crucial for a territory to thrive or to decline. In order to enhance the attractiveness & competitiveness of its economic system, E-R Region set forth the following objectives: 1) promoting the strengthening, innovation, smart specialisation, internationalisation of enterprises & productive value chains; 2) stimulating research & innovation projects, corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship and the participation of workers; 3) facilitating the inflow of domestic and foreign investment into the territory and towards regional enterprises. For pursuing the latter objective, ERR provides co-financing to investment programs that increase the competitiveness & innovative capacities of the regional value chains identified in the S3; have a significant positive impact on employment; generate positive spillovers for the territory. Financial incentives, coupled with information, advice and assistance prior and after the investments are available to both companies committed to establish in the region and for those wishing to expand their activities, following dedicated calls for proposal
Resources needed
Under the first call about 41 million euro were granted to 13 investment programmes worth about 522 million and generating more than 1.200 new jobs, more than a half for graduates and ¼ for research positions.
Evidence of success
1st call for investment projects results(April 2017): 13 investment programmes for a total investment of 531 million and 967 new jobs -605 graduated/300researchers, further 237 existing jobs will be preserved by reconverting productions & retraining employees. On Feb. 2018, FDI Intelligence-Financial Times, published "European Cities & Regions of the Future 2018/19”: ER ranks 6th among the most attractive regions in South Europe - 5th among EU regions for the quality of FDI attraction strategy
Potential for learning or transfer
In the Italian context, a specific tool for the Investment Promotion such as the Agreement provided by the regional law for the promotion of investments, has only few other similar examples. The innovative aspect consists in the mix of support comprising financial incentives, technical support for companies and support to the local bodies and other stakeholders involved in the investment.
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