Special Projects 2026

GOALS

For 2026, a budget of € 1.200,000 has been allocated to support projects focused on large-scale distribution, organised distribution, traditional trade, HoReCa and industry, both in Italy and in foreign markets, aimed at enhancing the distinctiveness and uniqueness of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, in particular:

• Increase the recognition and visibility of Parmigiano Reggiano product
• Enhance the consumer experience and product knowledge
• Strengthen the distinctive and premium positioning of the product

MINIMUM PROJECT REQUIREMENTS:

Special projects submitted for funding must meet the following requirements:

• In-store promotion: In-store activities aimed at promoting the product, communicating its distinctive features, and ensure optimal presentation and care. Price-based promotions are excluded. 
• Brand Visibility: Theatrical activities designed to increase the visibility and recognisability of the Parmigiano Reggiano logo at the point of sale, in compliance with the Consortium's guidelines (the institutional logo must always be present and in a clearly visible position; the aging stamp is strongly recommended; product image must always clearly display the dotted pattern – for approved images, please refer to Parmigiano Reggiano Studio: ParmigianoReggianoLab).  

ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS

For each beneficiary, a maximum of four projects may be eligible for funding. The projects must be submitted on a rolling basis starting from the date of publication of these guidelines until 31 March 2026.

For those operators who submit extra projects, these are getting checked only after after 31 March if the budget allows it.

Projects are evaluated in chronological order of receipt. The Consortium shall communicate the outcome within three weeks of the submission date and shall pre-approve funding until the available allocation is exhausted, with the following characteristics:

• Projects must satisfy the above requirements and be considered relevant based on the expected development volume, which must be at least 10 tonnes per single project;
• The total investment for each submitted project mustn't be less than €10.000;
• The grant approved by the Consortium, disbursed upon completion, covers 70% of the cost of the action and cannot exceed €25.000. If the project has already been submitted in previous years (same client, channel, references, etc.), the Consortium's contribution shall be 50%. If the project concerns an unexplored market or channel, the Consortium's contribution shall be 90%. In such cases, the operator must prove, through appropriate documentation, that Parmigiano Reggiano has never been introduced in the relevant market/channel before.
• Projects with a ratio between the overall project cost and expected sales performance exceeding €2/kg shall not be accepted.

Furthermore, please note that:

• Percentage reductions shall apply if the project does not achieve the expected results, the guidelines are not followed, the materials are not approved in advance, or the activity schedules are not provided in advance.
• For projects not carried out during the year, substantial changes to one or more projects and/or significant deviations from the planned targets, a reduction in the number of slots available for the following year may be considered.

The selection and membership criteria must include the following:

• For any in-store promotion and consumer communication activities, it is mandatory to use the official Parmigiano Reggiano merchandising and conformity with the “consortium guidelines” developed by the Consortium (ANNEX 2);
• Quantification of activity performance.

During the year, the Consortium will carry out inspections to verify the proper execution of the planned activities, either directly or through specialised agencies. Such inspections may also include audits and document reviews, which can be conducted at the company’s premises (an activity that the beneficiary hereby authorises by agreeing to these Guidelines).

Applications must be submitted by 31 March 2026 and are accepted exclusively through the portal available in the Reserved Area, in the Operators and Dairies Contributions Section, at the following link: ar.parmigianoreggiano.it. 

Through this portal, operators can upload the required documents and check the status of their application. On the same portal, it is mandatory to upload the 2026 DECLARATION OF PARTICIPATION SPECIAL PROJECTS (ANNEX 1).

It is mandatory to notify in advance any variation that deviate from the information previously submitted, under penalty of forfeiture of the grant.

ADMISSION STANDARDS FOR 2026:

Commercial operators (operating in trade, retail, industry and horeca channels), packagers and consortium dairies shall be eligible to apply for funding if they:

• Have signed the DECLARATION OF ADHESION TO SPECIAL PROJECTS 2026 (ANNEX 1);
• Have joined the ‘Nielsen Sell-in Operators project’ agreement and regularly submit data on a monthly basis;
• Export a minimum quantity of 50 tonnes per year (only for foreign projects);
• Have reported their warehouse stock levels in the ISMEA STOCK project.

Companies that have refused one of the document and accounting checks expected by the current guidelines are excluded.

N.B.: As indicated in the 2026 guidelines, failure to carry out one or more projects and/or substantial changes and deviations from the project's target during 2026 will be taken into account during the evaluation phase.

MODALITIES:

All documentation required by the guidelines must be completed and uploaded to the dedicated portal at ar.parmigianoreggiano.it , in accordance with the attached manual (ANNEX 3).

All activities must be completed by 31 December 2026.

DISBURSEMENT OF GRANTS:

The grant will be disbursed upon completion, after the formal approval of the report by the Consortium (preliminary review by the Office and final approval by the Executive Committee).

Please note that:

• The percentage actually granted may be reduced in the event of failure to comply with Guidelines, failure to achieve the objectives, or delays in the prior submission of schedules or materials for approval during 2026;
• In any case, the amount disbursed may not exceed the maximum allocated amount.

The report must include:

• The final project schedule;
• Accounting documents certifying the execution of the activities;
• Audiovisual materials and images documenting the activities;
• The commercial operator's report on the activities carried out, with specific reference to the results achieved through promotional activities during the relevant period.

SUSPENSION

If the beneficiary is involved in proceedings against the Consortium pending before national courts or arbitration tribunals, the Consortium shall retain the sums until a final judgment is issued, as a guarantee to cover, in the event that the judgment is rendered against the claimant, the internal and external costs incurred by the Consortium in managing the dispute and not recoverable through the court.

RATING

Operators receiving grants in 2025 are subject to a qualitative assessment (rating) based on the following criteria:

1. new serious irregularities detected by OCQ-PR in the three-year period 2023–2025;
2. new violations sanctioned and/or reported by the CFPR supervisory authority to official bodies and/or sanctioned by other competent national authorities (Icq, Nac, Nas, Cfs) in the three-year period 2023/2025;
3. major anomalies found within the Grater and Portioning Surveillance Programme promoted by the Consortium;
4. any deviations detected in the mandatory accounting audit carried out by a leading auditing firm appointed by the Consortium.

In the event of a “negative” rating, the Consortium reserves the unconditional right to reduce the amount of grants awarded to the operator.