With great pleasure, we announce that Roncucci&Partners has been appointed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as a partner for its INVEST initiative, to support 25 Italian companies actively involved in fighting the pandemic.
The INVEST initiative is part of the broader program ‘USAID’s Covid-19 Response in Italy’, launched by the U.S. Government with the objective of supporting our country’s healthcare system, private sector and civil society to face the pandemic.
Specifically, the INVEST initiative aims to unlock the potential of Italian private sector by mobilizing a total amount of 10 million dollars for the Italian businesses ‘to engage in research, development, or manufacture of therapeutics, vaccines, medical equipment, and supplies related to COVID-19’.
In this framework, the proposal presented by Roncucci&Partners has been selected: a well-structured development program involving 25 Italian companies (selected from a database of more than 400 private firms) which have adapted, reconverted or scaled their production to actively respond to the emergency.
The inaugural event, organized by the U.S. Embassy in Rome, was held this morning, November 12, in remote mode, due to the protracted health emergency in our country. The choice of Roncucci&Partners – and of the other three selected companies – was made official by the American Ambassador Lewis M. Eisenberg: “Our purpose today is to celebrate the longstanding partnership between the United States and Italy by launching a program designed to further integrate our private sectors through U.S. government grants to Italian, American, and international companies”.
USAID ‘INVEST’: our project
Our project has been greatly appreciated both for the quality of the technical proposal, and for the history and proven expertise of our company in terms of business consulting and internationalization.
Contributing to this achievement, also the recent collaboration with Regione Emilia-Romagna, which commissioned us to evaluate and select medical equipment suppliers as well as to create a database of Italian firms active in COVID-19 response. This activity has therefore proven a preparatory step for the INVEST call for proposals and a determining factor in the attainment of the final goal.
The project involves the individual Technical Assistance of the selected companies and will focus on production, organization, commercial and financial issues. The final goal is to strengthen the competitiveness of these companies and their preparedness to face eventual future emergencies.
Each company will be analyzed and assisted individually. This way, all the businesses will be properly supported in the improvement of several production and structural aspects. At the same time, they will be introduced to new opportunities to receive financial support by American and foreign investors that observe with interest the situation in our country.
USAID, a 50-million-dollar intervention to support Italy in the fight against COVID-19
With a total investment of 50 million dollars, the program ‘USAID’s Covid-19 Response in Italy’ aims to financially support our country, close ally of the Unites States and key economic player in the international market.
Three areas of intervention are included in the American assistance package: the first, with a value of 10 million dollars, aims to strengthen health safety through the provision of essential medical supplies and equipment to the national health system. The second devotes 30 million dollars to support civil society, non-governmental organizations and faith-based organizations in mitigating the social impacts of the pandemic on local communities. The third area of intervention finally addresses the private sector through the INVEST program, appointing 10 million dollars to enable Italian businesses to engage in research, development, or manufacture of medical equipment and supplies to address the ongoing and future projected COVID-19 demand.
USAID: U.S. Agency for International Development
Created in 1961, USAID is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government, whose primary objective is to provide direct support to foreign countries by promoting foreign policy objectives related to economic development, trade, conflict prevention and humanitarian aid. Though initially directed to developing countries, USAID has progressively broadened its scope of action and now operates in several economic and political fields, dealing with environmental protection, education and healthcare rights, global partnerships and humanitarian assistance in over 100 countries worldwide.
In the last 20 years, the U.S. have invested more than 140 billion dollars in health and humanitarian assistance worldwide, and more than a billion dollars to strengthen governments’ capacity to prevent, identify and respond to the threats posed by both existing and potential infective diseases, with the final goal of protecting U.S. and their economic partners.
