Italy Smart&Start Italia

Smart&Start Italia sits under Invitalia, Italy's national development agency, and it is one of the country's main startup finance routes for incorporated innovative companies. The program backs technology-heavy projects with a clear development plan, and the extracted record places it in the deep-tech cross-sector space for Italian startups at TRL 3 to 7. Funding runs from €100,000 to €1.5 million, with a median actual award of about €500,000. It is a rolling subsidized-loan route rather than a grant, with the current note pointing to roughly €200 million allocated in 2026 and a standard structure that covers 80% of project cost, rising to 90% in southern Italy. Eligibility is limited to for-profit, Italian-incorporated startups, and the same project cannot be stacked with another award. The strongest applications come from founders who can show technical risk, a defined budget, and a plausible path from development to commercialization. Smart&Start Italia is not aimed at idea-stage teams; it is built for companies that already have the legal structure and project discipline to use public finance on a real product, process, or service.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.