The Network of Companies

The network is based on an agreement between a number of companies for the pooling of their various assets and resources, with the aim of improving business performance and competitiveness. The Network concept was introduced for the first time under art. 6-bis of Italian Law no. 133/20081.

This article deferred the definition of the characteristics and the methods for identifying business networks to a decree issued by the Minister of Economic Development, even anticipating its logic, which was to "promote the development of the enterprise system through network-based activities capable of strengthening its organizational measures, the integration of the supply chain, the exchange and dissemination of the best technologies and the development of support services and forms of collaboration between manufacturing companies, even in different regions."

Companies belonging to one of the networks receive fiscal, administrative and financial benefits.

With the network contract, more entrepreneurs are pursuing the goal of improving their innovation and competitiveness on the market, both individually and collectively. To this end, on the basis of a common network program, the companies are obliged to work together in predetermined ways in areas relating to the their own business activities, or rather to exchange information or services of an industrial, commercial, technical or technological nature, engaging together in one or more activities falling within the scope of their business dealings.

The contract must be drawn up in  a public deed or private agreement and, as a minimum, must indicate:

• the name or company name of each of the parties who originally and subsequently undersigned the contract;
• the participants' strategic objectives, in terms of innovation and increased competitiveness, as well as the methods agreed upon between them for measuring their progress towards these goals;
• the definition of a network program, stating the rights and obligations of each participant, the methods for realizing their common goals and, in the event that a common capital fund is to be established, the amounts and the evaluation criteria for the initial contributions and any subsequent contributions that each participant is obligated to pay into the fund, as well as the rules governing the management of the fund itself;
• the duration of the contract, the methods by which other entrepreneurs may adhere to the contract and, if agreed, the causes for voluntary early withdrawal and the conditions for invoking the relative right of early withdrawal.

The network contract must be registered with the enterprise registry of each participant and the contract will be effective as of the date upon which the last of the necessary registrations has been completed by the contract's original participants.

To date, 9 Italian companies have joined the Uso Fiume and Uso Trieste Network.