With the Executive Decision No. 635 of December 16, 2025, Regione Piemonte - the Italian Region of Piedmont - officially launched the call for proposals named MATCHIN - Mobilizing Advanced Talents for Competence and High INnovation, a new measure aimed at implementing projects to strengthen the innovation capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Piedmont through the recruitment of highly qualified professionals from the world of research.
The main aim of the initiative is to promote systemic links between the public research sector and the world of production, creating an environment that is conducive to business innovation, integration and professional growth of young talents and researchers, enhancing their already advanced training and skills.
How does it work
The total budget for the call for proposals is €5 million, co-financed by the Regional FESR Program 2021-2027 and intended to support SMEs in Piedmont through two lines of action:
- Line A: recruitment of highly qualified personnel from the world of research, with a non-repayable grant with an aid intensity of 60% to 70% depending on the size of the enterprise;
- Line B: temporary provision of researchers through an agreement between SMEs and universities or public research bodies, with a non-repayable grant covering 50% of the costs incurred as specified in the agreement.
By “highly qualified personnel”, it is meant:
- Line A: individuals who hold a PhD and who, at the time of application, are currently engaged in or have completed within the last 12 months a fixed-term collaboration, formally conferred on a personal basis by a research organization and expressly aimed at carrying out research activities;
- Line B: researchers as defined in Article 1, paragraph 2, letter e) of Ministerial Decree MUR No. 330 of March 30, 2022, and similar figures from foreign universities and research institutions.
Each project to strengthen innovation capacity submitted by applicant companies must illustrate:
- the Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) challenge that the company intends to tackle, with concrete benefits for the company in terms of the development of new products, processes, or technologies;
- the skills that the company needs to pursue the RDI challenge;
- the specific skills possessed by the highly qualified person to be hired, which are suitable for covering the identified skills requirements, as well as the expected benefit in terms of improving and strengthening the company's skills to address the RDI challenge;
- the methods for integrating the highly qualified person into the company organization.
Applications may be submitted from March 2 to September 10, 2026, unless funds are exhausted earlier, by completing the digital form available on the regional telematic platform. The application procedure is on a first-come, first-served basis, and the measure is managed by Finpiemonte.
For information and clarification, one can write to the email address integrazione.misureimprese@regione.piemonte.it.
