The crisis is there, and it hits hard: it is incontestable. Even harder where the economic and social fabric is weaker. And yet it is from there, from the deep South, as it is usually defined, on the very day in which the forecasts of the International Monetary Fund signal that growth prospects for Italy continue to be very slim, that a signal of hope and confidence arrives. Signal sent by seven small businesses chosen from among the 200, newly born or still in gestation, admitted to "Smart&Start", the support program for new southern businesses. These seven companies yesterday in Rome presented their respective business projects, which have given them access to European funds managed by Invitalia on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Development.
In this small bunch of initiatives there is everything to arouse surprise. For example "Orange fiber", the company of two girls from Catania who, in partnership with the Milan Polytechnic, propose to produce cellulose yarns from citrus fruit processing waste. Yarns to be used for the production of fabrics capable of releasing vitamin C on the skin of those who will wear the garments made with those fabrics. The project, presented a month ago on Wall Street, calls for an initial investment of 385.000 euros and within six months – the two young promoters assure – it will go into production.
Then there is "Drone designer", an investment of 190.000 euros, the company still in the gestation phase of two aerospace engineers and one astronautical engineer, all from Ginosa (Taranto), which intends to produce Agricopter, a rotary wing drone to be used in agriculture. For example, for the collection of oranges or for the controlled (and limited) spraying of pesticides.
And there is also "Youbiquo" for the production of "smart glasses", defined by the presenters as "real wearable computers" which allow you to always be connected to the network without having to use even one hand. Something similar, it has been explained, to the device recently presented by Google. Except that in this case the followers of Silicon Valley come from Cava de' Tirreni, in the province of Salerno.
The other projects illustrated at the Invitalia workshop were also born in the "deep South". In Caserta, with an investment of 300.000 euros, the "Italrobot" saw the light, a humanoid capable of assembling electrical panels with great precision. In the small town of Baronissi, a spin-off of the University of Salerno gave rise to "Genomix4Life" (initial investment of 87.000 euros), a spin-off that saw the involvement of eleven young researchers expert in genomics and bioinformatics and the Faculty of Medicine of the same University, with the aim of developing innovative diagnostic tools capable of early detection of the formation of neoplasms.
Another spin-off originating from the University of Salerno is "Smart energy doctor" (330.000 euros), a project which aims to create a hardware and software platform to allow the monitoring, analysis and optimization of energy production plants electricity, mainly photovoltaics. The partners are three plus a company that produces photovoltaic panels.
And finally, the request for funding (which was accepted in Rome) for “Realizza chi sei” (Realize who you are) started from Taranto, a platform project to be launched on the web, conceived by a journalist from Corriere della Sera with some of her friends from Taranto, for allow the dissemination on the web (with relative online evaluation by Internet users) of the "dreams in the drawer" (stories, novels, plays, paintings, photos, musical pieces, song interpretations) of people who have not achieved notoriety.
These "magnificent seven" whose projects were illustrated in Rome are just the tip of an iceberg of modest dimensions compared to the expectations born on the occasion of the launch of "Smart&Start". Of the 190 million allocated to this initiative, up to now 35 have been allocated, distributed among 200 projects. A disappointing result perhaps compared to the 890 applications received by Invitalia. Even considering that 396 have not been accepted and that the evaluation of the other 294 has not yet been completed.
"Disappointing I would say no", points out Domenico Arcuri, CEO of Invitalia. “But an opportunity for stimulus to refine the machine and the mechanisms, yes”. Hence the idea of extending the target area of the subsidies, now limited to the fully-fledged Convergence regions (Calabria, Campania, Puglia and Sicily) and those in the exit regime (Bailicata and Sardinia), is taking shape. However, defining a preferential lane for companies in the South. So as to achieve the dual objective of encouraging self-entrepreneurship and employment in all regions where there is the greatest need for support, and at the same time to use European funds quickly and well.
“Fewer fountains, perhaps destined to run out of water, in every small town; but more kilometers of high-speed rail”, says Arcuri. He then adds that, in the light of the disappointing results of an exaggerated regionalism, it would be appropriate to bring the direction of the use of European funds back to the centre. And he reminds us that, in the meantime, the call for access to Smart & Start funds is still open. At the moment limited, perhaps for a little while longer, to those six regions of the South. But always reserved for small-sized companies, established for less than six months, controlled by natural persons; or even by individuals who have not yet set up a new company.
