‘Made in Italy’ Fund and National Strategic Plan for ICCs to be launched this autumn
The sector will receive grants of up to 80 per cent of investment costs. The first call for applications is due in the autumn, and the National Strategic Plan (PNs) will be discussed at the State-Regions Conference in September.
The summer of 2026 will be remembered as a time full of new developments and decisive steps for the future development and evolution of cultural and creative enterprises. In early June, the initial results of the ‘Cultura Cresce’ public call for proposals were presented in Rome. This incentive scheme, promoted by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture, is managed by Invitalia and funded by the Cultural and Creative Enterprises Fund under the National Culture Plan 21–27. By that date, 295 applications had been received, representing a total investment value of 132 million euros and over 105 million in requested subsidies. At present, more than 320 applications have been submitted, resulting in a corresponding increase in both investment and requested subsidies.
Thanks to this incentive, there has been a substantial increase in registrations in the special section of the Register of Cultural and Creative Industries (ICC), totalling 560 businesses across Italia, according to figures provided by Unioncamere and updated to July 2026.
Also in the same month, a new incentive provided for under Article 29 of Law No. 206 of 27 December 2023 – the so-called ‘Made in Italy’ law – came into effect, with the DGCC of the Ministry of Culture (MiC) set to play a central role in its implementation. The definition of the conditions and procedures for the granting of grants is entrusted to an implementing decree issued by the Minister of Culture, in consultation with the Minister for Enterprise and ‘Made in Italy’ and the Minister for the Economy and Finance, subject to agreement with the Unified Conference. The Decree, currently in a near-final draft version, provides for an investment of €2.7 million per year for cultural and creative enterprises over a period of ten years, for the disbursement of capital grants. In early July, the implementing Decree was ratified by the Unified Conference.
An overview of the sector
According to the report “Io sono cultura 2026” (by Symbola, Uniocamere, Centro Studi Tagliacarne and Deloitte) in 2025, the Italian Cultural and Creative Industries (SPCC) generated €115.8 billion in added value, accounting for 5.7 per cent of the national economy, representing growth of +3.3 per cent compared with the previous year. The sector employed almost 1.54 million people, accounting for 5.7% of the total workforce, an increase of +1.7% compared with 2024. This figure extends beyond the wealth directly produced; in fact, according to the estimated multiplier, for every euro generated by the SPCC, a further 1.7 euros are generated in the rest of the economy, amounting to a total of around 310 billion euros, equivalent to 15.4% of Italia’s GDP.
In the 22nd Annual ‘Impresa Cultura’ Report published by Federculture, with regard to cultural consumption, the figures for 2025 confirm the return of audiences to cultural venues and a demand for live experiences which, particularly in the performing arts sector, has now overcome the difficulties of the post-pandemic period. According to the report, there is a marked disparity between different regions of the country; indeed, in 2025, the proportion of the population visiting museums and exhibitions will exceed 40 per cent in the North-West, whilst in the South it will remain at around 26 per cent.
The fund and the PNS
Against this backdrop, the ‘Made in Italy’ Fund for ICCs could provide a real lifeline for a sector which, to date, has received few incentives and has not seen the introduction of any dedicated tax policies. The Fund is aimed at ICCs registered in the special section of the Register of Companies maintained by the Chambers of Commerce, with particular priority given to consortia comprising three or five entities. The investment programmes supported fall into two categories.
The first comprises initiatives aimed at promoting excellence in design and a high level of specialisation in production techniques; it seeks to strengthen regional clusters for product development and manufacture and to consolidate links with local specialisations.
The second concerns initiatives aimed at fostering the development of a public-private cultural market, strengthening cultural supply chains, and stimulating artistic production and the creation of new products and services; it seeks to promote organisational innovation and financial training, as well as to enhance cultural participation. Grants are awarded as non-repayable funding covering up to 80 per cent of eligible expenditure, up to a maximum of 100,000 euros.
Each year, the DGCC of the MiC will publish a notice setting out the procedures for accessing the fund, assess the applications received and, following the preliminary assessment, approve the ranking of projects eligible for funding. As with all incentives, the fund is subject to State aid rules, which set limits on the legal forms of eligible enterprises and maximum thresholds for grants that may be awarded. As explained by Lucia Borgonzoni, Under-Secretary of State for Culture, “The call for applications will be launched in autumn 2026, with streamlined procedures and criteria geared towards the sector’s growth and innovation”.
As regards the draft decree under Article 30 of the ‘Made in Italy’ Act, which adopts the National Strategic Plan for the promotion and development of cultural and creative industries (CCI), Under-Secretary Borgonzoni states that “We are in the final stages. It will, in fact, be on the agenda of the next State-Regions Conference in September 2026. The Plan is a step that consolidates a unified strategy, providing immediate resources for projects and a multi-year framework to strengthen supply chains, skills and the internationalisation of ‘Made in Italy’ in the cultural sector”.
