"UNICOOP will present a proposal to integrate the Scaleup Law (Law 34/2026) based on a new legal model: the Diffuse and Participatory Ownership Company (IPDP)"

"The goal is to defend Italian industrial heritage and patents, countering the risk of speculative acquisitions and relocations, and keeping control of companies in the hands of workers, researchers, and young talent."

"One of the pillars of the reform is the accelerated program 'Fast Track', which is based on the premise of innovation during the first 24 months, for two key instruments: worker buyouts (WBO), which allow workers to save high-tech business units, and district spin-offs, new businesses created by local leaders. Both will be linked to generational transition plans, with mandatory hiring of under-35s, fostering skills transfer and staff rotation. A central element of the proposal is Reverse Vertical Integration, a configuration that reverses the relationship between research and industry. In this framework, research organizations cease to be external suppliers and become an integral part of the production chain, bringing together companies and young researchers, including NEETs (young people not in education, employment, or training). The result is a company structured to compete at a European level, with solid and participatory governance."

"The IPDP model also introduces protective measures against speculative acquisitions, both internal and external. These include eliminating the 25% EU ownership threshold in governance through per-capita voting and adopting certified standard statutes via EU Wallet. In this context, funding members can support growth with capital, without affecting the strategic control reserved for operating members. 'We want our scaling companies to grow in the single market without the risk of losing their identity or technological value,' UNICOOP stresses, highlighting how participatory capital can become a new benchmark for industrial resilience at the European level."