The National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) is the Italian authority that protects national interests in the field of cybersecurity, as well as security and resilience in cyberspace: it works to prevent and mitigate as many digital attacks as possible and to promote the country's technological autonomy.
In 2023, ACN established the Cyber Innovation Network (CIN), a group of operators in Italy brought together to design and implement joint programs to support and accelerate innovation and applied research. Among these operators is I3P, the Innovative Companies Incubator of Politecnico di Torino, with which ACN developed and promoted a specific initiative, the Cybersecurity Incubation Program, aimed at supporting and developing young companies in the cybersecurity sector.
The new Notice for CIN start-ups
At the beginning of January 2026, ACN published the new Development Call, a public notice for the allocation of non-repayable grants to support the development activities of start-ups belonging to the portfolio of the operators selected by the Agency within the Cyber Innovation Network. This is an important opportunity to accelerate the growth of young companies active in the cyber sector in Italy, also facilitating prospects for future entry into international markets.
The total budget for the call for proposals, amounting to €2,250,000, is destined to a selection of 15 start-ups, which will receive a non-repayable grant for development projects aimed at achieving a repeatable and scalable sales model and consolidating the product or service offered. Each of the young companies selected by ACN will therefore be eligible to receive a maximum amount of €150,000, the granting of which will be subject to the checks required as a result of recourse to the "de minimis" aid scheme of the Italian state.
How to apply for the grant
To be eligible to apply for funding and benefit from the initiative, start-ups must have participated in incubation or acceleration programs, or other similar initiatives, promoted and managed by Cyber Innovation Network operators.
Young companies that meet the requirements to receive financial support from ACN must complete and send the required documentation (in Italian language) to the Agency's certified email address (PEC) acn@pec.acn.gov.it by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 9, 2026, with the subject line “Domanda di ammissione ai contributi a fondo perduto erogati dall’ Agenzia per la Cybersicurezza Nazionale per le Attività di sviluppo nell’ambito del CIN”. The required documentation includes:
- application form;
- project description;
- a certification, signed by the operator, of membership of the operator's portfolio and of the creation of a first version of the product/service with basic functionality, to be consolidated.
The documentation and reference templates are available on the official Notice page on the ACN website.
Any requests for information and clarification can be sent to the email address programmi-investimenti@acn.gov.it, possibly in Italian language, indicating “Avviso – Attività di sviluppo CIN” in the subject line. Requests for clarification regarding the submission of applications must be received within ten days of the deadline for submission of applications, in order to allow ACN to process the responses.
