The application is submitted exclusively through the online procedure made available on the website of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. The directorial decree of 4 August 2026 splits the process into two distinct phases, three weeks apart: compilation and submission. This guide sets out what happens in each and what has to be arranged beforehand.
The two phases
Article 5(2) of the directorial decree of 4 August 2026 distinguishes:
- Compilation, from 12:00 on 20 October 2026. In this phase you access the procedure, enter the data, upload the attachments, generate the application form as a non-editable PDF, apply a digital signature to it and upload it again.
- Submission, from 12:00 on 10 November 2026 to 12:00 on 20 January 2027. Here you access the procedure again and enter the code issued at the end of compilation.
Compilation is not submission. Applications are assessed in chronological order of submission (article 8(1) of the ministerial decree of 18 July 2025 and article 6(1) of the directorial decree of 4 August 2026), so position depends on when the application is submitted, not when it was filled in.
The application must be written in Italian and submitted by the applicant or by another person delegated to compile it, with the formalities of articles 21(1) and 38(2) and (3) of Presidential Decree 445 of 28 December 2000, exclusively through the Ministry's online procedure, on pain of invalidity and inadmissibility (article 5(1)).
Technical prerequisites
Three items must be arranged before starting the compilation.
- Digital identity. Access is through SPID, the national services card (CNS) or the electronic identity card (article 5(2)(a.1)).
- Digital signature. The platform generates the application form as a non-editable PDF which must be digitally signed before being uploaded again (article 5(2)(a.3)). As practical advice, not a rule of the decree: a digital signature is a separate instrument from SPID and, if you do not hold one, it is worth requesting it in good time.
- An active PEC mailbox. A certified email address is mandatory for submission (article 5(2)(a.2)).
The application preparation code
On upload of the digitally signed form, the platform issues the codice di predisposizione domanda (article 5(2)(a.4)). This code links the two phases: from 10 November, submission consists of accessing the procedure and entering that code (letter b.2).
The operational consequence: anyone who has not completed the compilation phase has no code to enter and cannot submit until they do.
Contents of the application
The application takes the form of a self-certified declaration in lieu of an affidavit (dichiarazione sostitutiva di atto notorio) and must contain, on pain of inadmissibility, the items listed in article 5(3):
- identifying data of the applicant and the PEC address;
- the location of the local unit where the spending plan mainly takes effect, it being understood that the plan may cover more than one local unit;
- a declaration on meeting the article 4 requirements of the ministerial decree of 18 July 2025, including a connectivity service with a minimum download speed of 30 Mbps; the requirements include the absence of the exclusions in article 4(4) of the ministerial decree (a disqualification penalty or another penalty barring contracts with the public administration, final convictions of legal representatives or directors for offences that exclude from public procurement or concession procedures, other conditions barring access to public aid);
- a declaration on the starting position regarding cloud computing and cyber security adoption and the expected improvement, evidencing the new solutions acquired or those more advanced than the ones already in use;
- the chosen services and products, specifying the identification codes assigned to each type from the official list, and the chosen acquisition method;
- the names of the suppliers, who must be on the list;
- the planned duration of the spending plan or, for a subscription, its duration, which cannot be less than twenty-four months; timings must in any case respect the limits of article 5(3) of the ministerial decree of 18 July 2025, including 12 months for a plan carried out solely by direct purchase;
- the amount of eligible expenses and of the grant requested;
- a declaration on compliance with the insurance obligation under article 1(101) of law 213 of 30 December 2023.
The offers to attach
Offers for the purchase of the services and products, showing the related cost items, must be transmitted with the application. Article 5(4)(a) requires that the offers:
- carry the identification codes assigned to the products and services by the official list;
- describe the applicant's starting position and the upgrade the offer delivers or, for a new product or service, attest that it is not already available to the applicant.
The identification code is not the same as the type abbreviation. It combines the supplier's identifier with the type abbreviation: in the example given in FAQ 41, supplier VCCFA2600009999 offers services of type C.1 Virtual machine under the code VCCFA2600009999-C1, which may cover several services of the same type. Each supplier states its own codes in the offer. An offer without the codes does not satisfy paragraph 4.
The unique project code
On submission the platform issues the codice unico di progetto (CUP), which must appear on every expense document connected to the funded programme (article 5(2)(b.3)). For disbursement, every expense document must carry the CUP and the identification code assigned to the individual funded service or product (article 7(4)(a)). It is worth passing the CUP to suppliers before invoices are issued: an expense document without it does not satisfy article 7(4); the Ministry then requests additional documents and, if they do not arrive or do not remove the obstacle, the result is a reduced disbursement or the partial or total revocation of the grant (article 7(6)).
One application per applicant
Each applicant may submit only one application (article 5(6) of the directorial decree of 4 August 2026, implementing article 7(5) of the ministerial decree). It is therefore not possible to submit several applications and choose later which to pursue.
Exhaustion of resources
If the applications submitted exhaust the available resources before the final deadline, the Ministry announces the exhaustion and closes the window. Applications submitted pending closure that lack financial cover are suspended until any savings are established; absent further resources they are treated as lapsed (article 5(7)).
Checks to run before submitting
Some conditions surface not at compilation but during assessment or reporting, when there is little room left to correct them. They are worth checking beforehand.
| Check | Reference | When it surfaces |
|---|---|---|
| The supplier is on the official list | art. 6(1)(c) DD 4 August 2026 | Assessment |
| The chosen services are on the list and match the plan | art. 6(1)(d) | Assessment |
| Macro-category E services do not exceed 30% of the plan and are connected to other services in the plan | art. 4(2)(e) | Assessment |
| Eligible expenses are not below EUR 4,000 | art. 4(6) | Assessment |
| Subscriptions run for at least 24 months | art. 4(4)(b) | Assessment and reporting |
| No expense is incurred before the application is submitted | art. 4(5) | Reporting |
| The de minimis allowance has headroom | art. 6(4) | Assessment, via the national aid register |
Assessment is completed within 60 days of the date the application is submitted, subject to the longer terms provided in the same paragraph (article 6(2)). During assessment the Ministry may request clarifications or additional documents, which must arrive within the stated term, on pain of the application lapsing; until they arrive the assessment terms are suspended (article 8(2) of the ministerial decree of 18 July 2025).
After the award
For a subscription, two deadlines run from notification of the award (article 4(5)):
- the subscription must be signed after the application is submitted and no later than 30 days; failure to comply with article 4(5) is a ground for revoking the grant (article 10);
- notification that it has been signed must be transmitted through the online procedure within 60 days, using the template published in the measure's area of the portal, on pain of forfeiting the grant.
For a direct purchase, expenses must be incurred and paid within 12 months of notification of the award (article 4(4)(a)).
Disbursement cannot be requested earlier than 3 months after notification of the award (article 7(2)). The request for the second and final tranche, or for the single tranche, must be submitted within 30 days of the deadline for completing the spending plan (article 7(3)).
Early withdrawal from a subscription and a change of the subscription's supplier must be reported promptly through the online procedure (article 8(1)). They interrupt the benefit and forfeit any residual contribution connected to that subscription (article 8(2)); failing to report them promptly is a ground for revocation (article 12 of the ministerial decree of 18 July 2025).
Note also that switching the acquisition method between direct purchase and subscription, relative to what was stated in the application, is not permitted (article 8(4)).
References
- Ministerial decree of 18 July 2025, rules governing the measure.
- Directorial decree of 21 November 2025, formation of the list of approved suppliers.
- Directorial decree of 29 July 2026, definition of the list of approved suppliers.
- Directorial decree of 4 August 2026, application terms and procedures.
- MIMIT, official answers to frequently asked questions.
This page is current as of September 2026 and does not replace the official texts. Check the decrees and the documentation published by the Ministry before submitting an application.
