Sustainability
Support for companies, people and territories. Support for the environmental and digital transition is growing. In Invitalia, the Gender Pay Gap was eliminated two years ahead of the Plan
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The Invitalia Group’s 2023 Sustainability Report
Invitalia closed the Gender Pay Gap two years early
There are over 64,000 companies supported by the Invitalia Group in 2023. Of these, more than 4,200 are new, 40% of which have been created by women. In addition, there are almost 31,000 jobs that the incentives have helped to create or safeguard, 48% of them in the South.
These are some of the results achieved by the Invitalia Group in 2023 and contained in the new Sustainability Report that account for the value generated for people, the environment, communities and territories, institutions and companies. The document highlights, in particular, the increasingly central role that Invitalia plays in boosting the growth of the country, promoting the competitiveness of companies and territories, supporting strategic sectors and flanking the Public Administration.
The value of the eligible financial benefits grew significantly, from € 4.6 billion in 2022 to € 5.9 billion in 2023, as a result of the increase in the average value of supported investments (€ 365,000 compared to € 50,000 last year). The € 5.9 billion is broken down as follows: € 2.5 billion for the implementation of major investments, € 2.3billion for the strengthening of the production system, € 419million for the creation of new companies and € 103 million to support companies in areas experiencing a crisis. In addition to this, there is support for the implementation of IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) calls for proposals worth € 662 million.
The value of the investments activated through the financial benefits is € 23.4 billion, of which 26% in the South.
As far as equity transactions are concerned, 12 interventions were carried out in 2023 with the Grow in the South Fund (Cresci al Sud) and the Business Safeguard Fund (Fondo Salvaguardia Imprese), for a value of € 45.8 million.
Also in 2023, the drive for innovation was one of the priorities, with € 1.1 billion in financial benefits granted for research and innovative investments. In particular: € 682 million for the development of microelectronics and hydrogen supply chains; € 372 million to support transformation and sustainable innovation processes; € 60 million for 122 innovative start-ups and SMEs supported with the incentives of Smart&Start Italia; € 18 million to promote the protection of patents (25% in the South).
The support for the business world is also demonstrated by the liquidity injected by the Group into the system, amounting to € 48.3 billion, thanks to the guarantees granted and disbursements for subsidised financing. In more detail: € 21.7 billion in guaranteed credit for liquidity, € 21.3 billion in guaranteed investments, € 3 billion in market-rate loans and € 2.3 billion in incentives disbursed.
The role that the Invitalia Group has maintained within the NRRP is significant: in 2023 it supported 20 administrations in the implementation of programmes for a total value of € 45.7 billion.
Support for the environmental and digital transition is also increasingly significant: in 2023, about 4,000 projects (35% in the South) were admitted to funding, for a value of the financial benefits of € 2.9 billion and activated investments of € 9.5 billion. In particular, € 1.2 billion (with activated investments of € 5.8 billion) were allocated to the implementation of large business investments to support the sustainable transformation of production processes and to develop strategic supply chains in the wind, photovoltaic, battery and renewable hydrogen sectors.
On the other hand, as regards consumption incentives to promote sustainable mobility, € 351 million were disbursed through the Ecobonus and Bonus measures for electric vehicle charging stations.
In terms of accelerating public investments, the Invitalia Group also carried out significant activity in 2023 in the role of Central Contracting Authority and Contracting Station, as part of the implementation of the NRRP and the 2021-2027 national and European programming. There are 171 tender procedures launched for an investment value of € 4.2 billion.
On the PA support front, Invitalia has ensured technical assistance to the Administrations for the implementation of the NRRP and the EU and national Operational Programmes: 21 programmes are supported, for a total value of about € 90 billion.
Also worth mentioning are the specialist consultancy services provided for 46 projects, of which 15 intended for the digitisation of services to citizens and territorial cohesion, for a value of € 80.3 million.
The commitment to culture was confirmed with the support, through incentives, of 1,800 projects in the field of tourism and the protection of artistic and cultural heritage, which activated investments of € 134 million (37% in the South). Also significant is the support in the management of public procurement for the protection and digitalisation of the cultural heritage, with 36 contracting stations supported and 52 calls to tender announced, for a value of € 485 million.
Invitalia has also been committed to strengthening its sustainability path internally: in 2023 it adopted a Policy and a 2024-2026 Strategic Sustainability Plan.
On the anti-money laundering front, the Agency has adopted a specific Policy to manage the communication of suspicious transactions in regard to money laundering and financing of terrorism. Invitalia has also strengthened a memorandum of understanding already in place with the Guardia di Finanza to encourage better collaboration between the business world and institutions.
There has been a constant commitment to contain consumption in its facilities, with an intelligent use of energy sources and with a focus on reducing the use of paper and plastic. With regard to sustainable mobility, initiatives have been strengthened to reduce emissions due to home-work travel and to encourage the use of “green” means of transport.
Invitalia has achieved complete pay equalisation between men and women with the same classification ahead of the objectives of the Strategic Sustainability Plan which envisaged the reduction by 2026. In Invitalia women represent over 50% of all employees and surpass 40% in managerial positions. In the last two years, the presence of women in management roles has grown by about 60%. The growth of employees under 30 also continues, doubling in the last two years (data updated to June 2024).
In addition, more than 40% of the members of the Group’s Board of Directors are women, with a percentage that rises to 60% for the Parent Company.
The dialogue with the local area was always active: in particular, the Group kept its relationship with stakeholders constantly open, including through the organisation of 187 events.