Emilia-Romagna Starter Fund: a zero-rate loan for software

What it offers

The Fondo Starter belongs to the Emilia-Romagna Region, uses EU regional development funds (PR FESR) and is run by Artigiancredito with BNL. The window is open from 11:00 on 12 October to 16:00 on 30 November 2026, unless funds run out. Applications are handled in order of filing, with a technical check and a credit check. The Region calls it a reopening: the fund comes back in successive windows.

• a loan of up to 100% of the project, from EUR 20,000 to 500,000;
• 75% at zero interest from public funds, 25% from the bank, in quarterly instalments;
• 18 to 96 months;
• start-up aid under the EU block exemption (GBER) or de minimis, as the business chooses.

You apply on fondostarter.artigiancredito.it with a digital signature. Without approval from one of the partner banks for the private share, the application can't be accepted.

What counts on the IT side

Assets include machinery, equipment, hardware and software; intangibles include patents, licences and trademarks. Technical and specialist consulting, staff, stock, rent and technical documents together can't exceed 50% of the loan.

Websites, e-commerce, cloud and cybersecurity aren't named. Invoices under EUR 500 don't count, and neither do used goods.

Timing

Costs count from the application date. Within 4 months of the decision you request the first payment, with invoices for at least 50% of the loan. The project must be finished within 12 months of the decision, with at most a 4-month extension, and if spending stays below 50% of the approved amount the aid is revoked.

If software is most of the project, half the work must be invoiced in the first four months.

What I do

The EUR 20,000 minimum rules out small jobs. For a young business with a real project I build:

• custom business software for orders, stock or production;
• a mobile app or a PWA for customers and technicians;
• the server it runs on, with backups and logins.

In the quote I describe the software as an asset, with phases and dates inside the 12 months and a first delivery by the fourth month. The code is yours.

What I don't do

I don't file the application or deal with the bank. This page summarises the guidelines for beneficiaries updated on 10 September 2026, the Region's page and Artigiancredito's pages, as read on 5 November 2026. The guidelines are the reference.

Frequently asked questions

Is it a grant?

No: it's a loan over 18 to 96 months, with up to 18 months before repayments start. 75% comes from public funds at zero interest (80% for women-led firms), the rest from a partner bank at 6-month Euribor plus a spread of at most 4.99%. Guarantees can be required, but not mortgages.

Who can apply?

Micro and small businesses in the Companies Register for no more than five years, and self-employed professionals with a VAT number for no more than five years, with the project in a unit in Emilia-Romagna and their main activity in one of the eligible ATECO sections. Medium-sized firms can't. You also need a clean contributions certificate (DURC) and natural disaster insurance.

Where does custom development go?

The Region's page names customised software solutions, and the guidelines customised software purchases, among the assets. If it's read as technical consulting instead, it falls under the 50% cap with staff, rent and stock. Before applying, ask Artigiancredito where to put it.

Can you be the supplier?

Yes: the guidelines set no location rule and no supplier list. They exclude invoices from the legal representative, the company's officers and linked companies. Each invoice must be at least EUR 500, dated after the application, carry the CUP project code and be paid in a single traceable payment for the full amount.

Read more

• The service: Custom business web apps
• More pages like this: Italian grants and incentives for IT