15 digital transformation projects have received funding under the call named Test4Digitalization, an initiative promoted and managed by Area Science Park as part of the Argo System to support the introduction of 4.0 technologies within domestic micro, small and medium-sized enterprises engaging in the manufacturing and construction sectors.

The call, which closed on 7 February 2022, was launched to extend a grant for the development of prototypes, demos, proof of concept (POCs) or pilot initiatives to be implemented, in collaboration with ICT organisations, based on actual digitalisation needs. The idea behind it is to support the initial phase of the digital transformation project – which coincides with experimentation – before moving on to large-scale implementation, when investments can be costly, especially if not well analysed and verified.

The possibility of having support to implement, on an experimental basis, 4.0 technologies has attracted attention and interest from the business community, both in Friuli Venezia Giulia and other Italian regions. Indeed, as many as 32 applications were submitted, with 28 being approved by the technical committee. The quality of the digitalisation ideas, which together would require a total investment of more than € 1,100,000, was found to be high enough for Area Science Park to decide to increase by 26% the budget allocated to the call in order to support more projects. The initial investment of € 300,000 was increased by € 80,000; the additional amount will thus provide support for more than half of the approved projects, rising from 12 initially eligible for funding to the current 15. Under the call, each application can receive a contribution to costs of up to € 30,000.

Of the 15 projects funded, 10 were submitted by companies in Friuli Venezia Giulia and 5 by entities based in other regions; including 10 small-sized companies, 3 micro businesses and 2 medium-sized companies. Several technologies will also be employed: from AI to IoT, from machine vision to simulation to virtual reality.

“The technical committee that assessed the projects was particularly impressed by the quality and variety of the candidate applications for experimentation, so much so that we decided to increase the initial investment share with a view to increasing the possibility of experimenting with the use of new technologies in different business processes,” explained Caterina Petrillo, Chair of Area Science Park. She also added that “Once the experimentation phase is over, the candidate projects will be able to become good practices from which to take inspiration to implement further development projects in other companies as well, thus contributing to a large-scale digital transformation.”

The projects were assessed by a special committee consisting of experts in digital transformation processes who analysed, for each initiative, the digitalisation path, the quality of the project presented, the consistency between planned activities and expected results, and the assumed duration.

“The Test4Digitalization call highlights the ability of the synergy between the public and private sectors to lead to concrete results capable of increasing the competitiveness of the entire nation’s economic system”,  explained Giulia Di Croce, Member of the Strategic Committee of the Argo System empowered by the Ministry of Economic Development. “The considerable interest aroused by the call, the submission of projects promoted by companies engaging across the national territory and the quality of the initiatives are clear signs of the constant and growing willingness on the part of businesses to invest in the processes of innovation and digital transition that are essential to face today’s challenges. The experience of the digital Innovation Hub IP4FVG is proof that together it is possible to adopt a new working method where central government, research centres, regional entities and businesses focus on a new culture based on collaboration with the aim of maximising the results of the effort made by individuals to the benefit of the community.”

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