If you are an entrepreneur operating in the web marketing sector or perhaps you are looking for financing that can help support the launch of your new e-commerce platform, then the measures envisaged by the PNRR with the precise aim of encouraging digitalisation will certainly be able to meet your needs.

Curious to know what it is and how to access it?

Continue reading and you will see that you will find exhaustive answers to all your questions.

What is PNRR?

Before dealing with the topic in question, it is necessary to briefly recap what the PNRR is and what it entails.

Therefore, in case you have never heard of it or have a brief knowledge of it, you should know that the PNRR, acronym for National Recovery and Resilience Plan, is essentially a document signed by every single EU member state, therefore including Italy, thanks to which you can access Next Generation UE contributions.

So far we imagine everything is clear, but what were these contributions allocated for?

These contributions, contained in a package worth as much as 750 billion euros, can be configured as measures aimed at supporting an economic recovery based on 3 fundamental areas: social inclusion, ecological transition and digitalisation and innovation.

Precisely the latter is what interests us, also because it is the one that involves the presence of non-repayable contributions up to 40% for web marketing and e-commerce.

You must know, in fact, that the digital transition is one of the main cornerstones of the PNRR and above all it is a need dictated by the very era in which we live.

Things are starting to get more interesting now, aren't we? Let's see how these digital subsidies are configured.

Who are the non-repayable contributions for the creation of websites and e-commerce intended for?

The announcement which explains the nature and pursuit of non-repayable contributions is aimed at all SMEs with registered office in Italy and which can present at least 2 deposited financial statements relating to 2 complete financial years.

Be careful, however, not all sectors are admitted. The luxury exclusions are those in the manufacturing sector intended for the production of meat, slaughter and the related products resulting from the activity itself, fishing, forestry and agriculture.

Therefore, if your small or medium-sized business falls into one of the aforementioned sectors, know that you will not have the possibility of accessing non-repayable grants.

Timing and deadline

As far as timing is concerned, we must be honest: time is running out.

The deadline to allow you to join the call is in fact May 31, 2022, so if you are interested we strongly advise you to collect all the information you need and finalize your intentions.

Eligible expenses

From expenses reserved for social networks for promotional purposes to those relating to dedicated software for productivity, from the outlays necessary to protect the security of a particular platform to those reserved for SEO indexing and much more.

What has just been said, in fact, is only the tip of the iceberg. The truth is that the tender is characterized by a very high operational and functional versatility, such that the expenses supported can cover practically every area of the digital universe without being exaggerated.

For greater clarity and to avoid having to deal with an enormous list of elements, let's focus on the main macro areas, that is:

• Creation and development of a platform or use of a specific marketplace
• Investments aimed at expanding, optimizing or improving the platform or marketplace
• Promotional and training expenditures attributable to a specific project, therefore everything that falls within the scope of the SEO campaign, indexing, SEM campaign, etc.

The figures

Up until now we have always touched on the topic of figures, the time has come to delve deeper into it.

What numbers are we talking about?

Therefore, technically speaking, the tender contemplates a de minimis regime at a subsidized rate with related non-repayable co-financing in temporary framework mode which, as mentioned, can be used for the realization of any project that can be configured as a digital investment aimed at the creation or improvement of a specific platform or for access to a marketplace in which to market goods and/or products on national soil or with a national brand.

Naturally, as you can well imagine, the amount of financing obtainable is closely related to the ownership of the platform.

Therefore, in case we are talking about an own platform, the receivable amount is up to a maximum of 300,000 Euros according to the functional dynamics which provide for the average revenues deriving from the last two financial statements not to exceed the 15%.

However, in the case of a third-party platform, the receivable amount is up to a maximum of 200,000 Euros according to functional dynamics which provide for the average revenues deriving from the last two financial statements not to exceed the 15%.

Maximum non-refundable quota for e-commerce and websites

A significant part of the financing, as already mentioned, refers to non-repayable financing, a technical term which indicates a type of contribution, subsidy or loan for which there is no obligation to repay the capital to the granting body, the State in this case.

In particular, the call contemplates the assignment to all SMEs in the South of a quota equal to 40%, while for all the others a quota of 25%.

Particular attention must also be paid to the timing, since the overall duration will be 4 years, however one is to be considered pre-amortization.

However, we reiterate an aspect of fundamental importance: the non-repayable portion can only be authorized in full compliance with the limitations of the maximum total amount under the temporary framework regime for benefit companies.

Technical analysis

There is no doubt that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan can represent an opportunity for growth and consolidation for you and your digital business according to standards oriented towards the future.

If you want to invest profitably in your platform or your marketplace while being able to count on substantial contributions and payment terms, then adhering to this call is what will allow you to practically start the now necessary digital transition.

And naturally a similar discussion is as valid when referring to a single reality as it can be on a large scale.

The truth is that the implementation of the PNRR will be a basic step for the future of Italy both from an economic point of view, considering the extent of the measures, and from a legislative one, since ad hoc reforms will be necessary to ensure the maximum transparency.

And in this regard, an exhaustive technical analysis such as the one we are carrying out cannot fail to consider some events from more recent history.

You may remember how at the time of the second mandate of the Conte government some complaints began to emerge from the opposition, mostly regarding the governance model considered excessively centralized, however the government clarified how everything had been done following the indications received from the EU and therefore without any arbitrariness.

But even more recently, under the Draghi government, the PNRR has been the subject of discussion and debate due to the limited involvement of the Parliament and the Senate, due to the tight deadlines.

But if the concerns relating to transparency are fully legitimate and justified, so are those relating to the actual implementation of the Plan.

Certainly, careful monitoring and precise and severe control will be necessary, if not essential, both on the various operational steps of the PNRR and on the beneficiaries who will actually have resources of a certain size.

And for all this to happen according to the right dynamics, in addition to the obvious respect of the time indications, the support of specific reforms capable of assisting the entire process in the best possible way will be essential.

However, everything seems to have fallen on the right tracks, one more reason not to miss this opportunity to finally make your digital reality up to future standards.