Special projects 2026 - Rolling call for applications

For the year 2026, an extra budget of € 600,000 has been allocated to support projects aimed at the large-scale retail, organized distribution, Normal Trade, HoReCa, and industry channels, both in Italy and in foreign markets, with the goal of enhancing the distinctiveness and uniqueness of the Parmigiano Reggiano product, and in particular:

• Increase the recognizability and visibility of the Parmigiano Reggiano product

• Improve the consumer experience and product knowledge

• Strengthen the distinctive and premium positioning of the product

MINIMUM PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

Special projects that may be submitted must meet the following requirements:

• In-store promotion: activities at the point of sale aimed at enhancing the product, communicating its distinctive characteristics, and improving its presentation and handling. Pure price-cut promotions are excluded.

• Brand Visibility: theatricalization activities that increase the visibility and recognizability of the Parmigiano Reggiano logo at the point of sale, in line with the Consorzio’s guidelines (the institutional logo must always be present and clearly visible; the aging seal is strongly recommended; product images must always clearly show the dotted marking – for approved images, please refer to Parmigiano Reggiano Studio: ParmigianoReggianoLab).

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Each eligible beneficiary may submit a maximum of 2 projects, which may be submitted on a rolling basis from the date of publication of these guidelines and no later than 15 September 2026.

Projects will be evaluated in chronological order of receipt. The Consorzio will communicate the outcome within 3 weeks from the date of submission, with pre-approval for funding until the budget is exhausted, under the following conditions:

• The contribution recognized by the Consorzio, disbursed on a post-completion basis, will cover 70% of the action cost and may not exceed €25,000. If the project has already been submitted in previous years (same client, channel, product references, etc.), the Consorzio’s contribution will be 50%. If the project targets an unexplored market or channel, the contribution will be 90%. The operator must demonstrate through appropriate documentation that Parmigiano Reggiano has never previously been introduced to that market/channel.

• Projects will be covered at 70% if the ratio between the total project cost and the expected sales volume is less than or equal to €2/kg. Exceptionally for 2026, projects with a ratio greater than €2/kg and up to €5/kg will be covered at 50%.

• Projects with a ratio between total cost and expected volume exceeding €5/kg will not be accepted.

• The total volume of each project submitted may not be less than 5 tons.

Please also note that:

• Percentage reductions are foreseen if, upon completion, the project has not achieved the expected results in terms of €/kg (within the already stated limit of €5/kg), if the guidelines have not been followed, if advance approval of materials was not obtained, or if action calendars were not submitted in advance.

• In the event of projects not executed during the year, substantial changes to one or more projects, and/or significant deviation from projected targets, the Consorzio may consider reducing the number of available slots for the following year.

• ATTENTION: product listings that are not incremental for the partner and/or chain are excluded.

Selection and participation criteria must include:

• For any in-store promotion and consumer communication activities, use of the official Parmigiano Reggiano merchandising and adherence to the “consortium guidelines” developed by the Consorzio (ANNEX 2).

• Quantification of activity performance.

During the year, the Consorzio will carry out checks on the proper execution of planned activities, directly or through specialized agencies. This may also involve a specific accounting and documentary review, potentially at the company’s premises (an activity that the beneficiary authorizes by accepting these Guidelines).

Applications must be submitted by 15 September 2026 and will only be accepted through the portal available in the Reserved Area under the “Contributi Operatori e Caseifici” (Operator and Dairy Contributions) section at: ar.parmigianoreggiano.it. Through this portal, operators can upload required documents and monitor the status of their application. The DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS 2026 (ANNEX 1) must also be uploaded via this portal. Any variation from what was previously submitted must be communicated in advance, under penalty of forfeiture of the contribution.

ACCESS CRITERIA 2026

Applications for funding may be submitted by commercial operators (operating in trade, retail, industry, and HoReCa channels), packagers, and member dairies:

• Who have signed the DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS 2026 (ANNEX 1).

• Who have joined the “Nielsen Sell-in Operators” project agreement and regularly submit monthly data.

• Who export a minimum of 50 tonnes per year (for international projects only).

• Who have submitted their respective warehouse stock data as part of the ISMEA STOCK project.

Companies that have refused any of the documentary and accounting reviews required under the current guidelines are excluded.

N.B.: As indicated in the 2026 guidelines, failure to execute one or more projects and/or substantial variation and deviation from the projected targets during 2026 will be taken into account in the evaluation phase.

PROCEDURES

All documentation required by these guidelines must be completed and/or uploaded to the dedicated portal at ar.parmigianoreggiano.it as per the attached manual (ANNEX 3).

All activities must be completed by 31 December 2026.

DISBURSEMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS

The contribution will be disbursed on a post-completion basis, following formal approval of the final report by the Consorzio (reviewed by the Office and finally approved by the Executive Committee).

Please note that:

• The effective percentage recognized may be reduced in the event of non-compliance with the Guidelines, failure to achieve the stated objectives, late submission of advance calendars, or late submission of materials for approval during 2026.

• The amount disbursed may in no case exceed the maximum amount assigned.

The final report must include:

• The final project schedule.

• Accounting documents proving the completion of activities.

• Audio-visual materials and photographs of the activities.

• The commercial operator’s report on activities carried out, with specific reference to results achieved through promotions during the relevant period.

SUSPENSION CLAUSE

Should the beneficiary be party to pending disputes against the Consorzio before national courts or in arbitration, the Consorzio will retain the amounts as a guarantee to cover, in the event of a ruling adverse to the claimant, the internal and external costs incurred by the Consorzio in managing the dispute and not otherwise reimbursed by the court.

RATING

Operators accessing the 2025 contributions are subject to a subjective assessment (rating) based on: 1. new serious non-conformities identified by OCQ-PR in the three-year period 2022/2024; 2. new violations sanctioned and/or reported by CFPR supervision to official bodies and/or sanctioned by other competent national authorities (Icq, Nac, Nas, Cfs) in the three-year period 2022/2024; 3. serious anomalies identified within the Consorzio’s Grated and Portioned Cheese Surveillance Programme; 4. any discrepancies found during the mandatory accounting audit conducted by a leading auditing firm appointed by the Consorzio.

In the event of a “negative” rating, the Consorzio reserves the absolute right to reduce the amount of contributions recognized to the operator.