In support of the Piano Nazionale Impresa 4.0 (National Enterprise Plan 4.0), three different structures collaborate, helping Italian companies to face and adopt technological innovation dictated by the 4.0 paradigm.
And we talk about: Competence Center (CC), Digital Innovation Hub and Digital Enterprise Points (PID), which together form the so-called National Network Industry 4.0, the medium par excellence that the MISE – Ministry of Economic Development – is using to create awareness and knowledge on the benefits deriving from the use of smart technologies.
In particular, the PIDs, the digital enterprise points, represent the tool managed by the Chambers of Commerce to support Italian Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MPMI), through four main activities:
• The spread of knowledge on technologies in the Industry 4.0 environment;
• Assistance to companies that want to start digitalization processes through assessment and mentoring services;
• Programming of training courses on basic skills in the digital sector;
• The orientation required to contact the Innovation Hubs and Competence Centers.
The advantage is also given by the fact that any company can turn to PIDs, beyond the market sector and dimension.
And here they will find 4 different professional figures that can accompany them along a path of technological awareness. In particular:
• Digital Leader (or «Ambassador») which coordinates the Chamber PID and is responsible for regulatory compliancy
• Digital coordinator who oversees the relationship with companies and carries out the initial assessment of the company and coordinates the digital promoters
• Digital promoter that develops promotional, communication and assistance actions
• Digital mentor, which offers free advisory / consultancy support to MSME.
In this regard, a meeting dedicated to the Transition 4.0 table, held by the Minister Stefano Patuanelli, was held in recent days at the MISE.
It was the occasion to compare the results achieved by the Business Plan 4.0, in order to improve the tools and identify a new multi-year program.
The Minister first illustrated the data for 2017 concerning hyper and super-amortization and tax credits for research and development expenses, showing how the Business Plan 4.0 rewarded medium and large companies (64%) more than smaller companies.
Investments concerned 10 billion euros for the hyper-amortization on tangible assets and 3.3 billion euros for super-amortization on intangible assets, for an audience of 15 thousand companies in the first case and 43 thousand companies in the second case .95 companies have invested more than 10 million euros and 35 companies more than 20 million euros.
Even the tax credit on research and development expenses facilitated the expenses of medium-large companies, for 63%, with 233 companies that exceeded 3 million euro and 116 companies 5 million euro.
Then reviewing the Budget 2020-2022 The Minister proposed to allocate a total of 7 billion euros for the extension of hyper and super-amortization and for the extension of the tax credit on training 4.0, in addition to the introduction of the CDI on the circular economy (green economy).
The new objectives include the 40% expansion of the audience of interested companies through:
– The rationalization of the measures: a tax credit of increasing intensity
– The possibility of taking advantage of the tax credit in advance, starting from January of the year following the investment
– The extension of the Research and Development Tax Credit to investments in innovation and design
– Access to super-amortization on the intangible assets of Annex B without the restriction of the purchase of tangible assets included in Annex A
It also provides for greater incentives for skills, the circular economy, software and IT systems. Finally, a lower application uncertainty and regulatory simplification.
A further positive note is given by the certification of the PIDs among the 40 best practices at European level, recognized by the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) as part of the EPSA award (European Public Sector Award) aimed at the best public projects European administration presented by 28 countries.