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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant, 'Innovatiesteun bij Europese samenwerking (thematisch)', provides financial support from VLAIO to Flemish businesses and knowledge institutions. Its core objective is to facilitate and co-fund their participation in thematic international research, development, and innovation projects within various European partnerships. - Target recipients: Flemish businesses (SMEs and large enterprises) and knowledge institutions. - Geographic scope: Flanders, Belgium for the applicant, collaborating with international partners from participating countries in the respective European partnerships. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC: This grant framework is sector-specific, as it supports participation in various thematic European partnerships that cover diverse industries. - Key filtering criteria: Applicant must be a Flemish entity, willing to engage in international R&D collaboration, and the project must align with a specific thematic European R&D partnership. - Grant frequency: Ongoing, supporting recurring calls launched by the various European partnerships.

Financial Structure

Funding is provided through VLAIO's existing innovation instruments: onderzoeksproject (research project) and ontwikkelingsproject (development project).
For specific partnerships like FutureFoodS and ICT-AGRI-FOOD, TETRA-project can also be used.
For the DUT partnership, PILBO onderzoeksproject and PILBO ontwikkelingsproject are applicable.
Funding amounts: Varies per program and the specific VLAIO instrument utilized. There is no overarching budget specified for this umbrella support framework.
Co-financing: Implicitly required as VLAIO provides national support for participation in international programs. VLAIO's ontwikkelingsproject can provide 25% to 50% of eligible costs, potentially up to 60% for interregional or international cooperation.
Eligible costs: Not explicitly detailed for this umbrella grant, but generally align with VLAIO's standard criteria for research and development projects.
Payment schedule: Not specified for this umbrella grant, follows VLAIO's standard procedures for its innovation subsidies.
Currency: EUR.
Financial reporting: Follows VLAIO's standard requirements for its onderzoeksproject and ontwikkelingsproject subsidies.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type

Eligible: Ondernemingen (businesses), encompassing both kmo's (SMEs) and grote ondernemingen (large enterprises).
Eligible: Kennisinstellingen (knowledge institutions).
For the EP PerMed partnership: Vlaamse ziekenhuizen (Flemish hospitals) and (non-profit) patiëntenorganisaties met rechtspersoonlijkheid (non-profit patient organizations with legal personality) are also eligible.

Geographic Location

Applicant must be a Flemish partner (from Belgium, specifically the Flanders region).
Project requires international collaboration with partners from other participating countries/regions in the specific European program.

Project Scope

Projects must involve uitdagend en risicovol R&D-project (challenging and risky R&D project).
Projects must align with the specific thematic focus of the European partnership.

Consortium Requirements

Participation in an international consortium is mandatory.
Specific consortium requirements vary per European program:
- Chips-JU: At least three partners from three different countries.
- EUPAHW: Minimum three and maximum eight partners from minimum three different countries.
- MARLEN: At least two independent partners from two different participating countries, with company participation mandatory.
- M-ERA.NET: At least three funding-seeking partners from three different countries (of which at least two must be EU member states or associated countries).

Financial Status

For EP PerMed: Enterprises in moeilijkheden (in difficulty) at the time of the decision cannot be funded. If in difficulty at the time of submission, a plan to remedy this status must be submitted.

Application Process

Application Procedure

Applicants must first participate in and be selected by a specific call from one of the listed European thematic partnerships.
Once selected (or during the application phase for the European call), Flemish partners apply for VLAIO support via the online application procedure for VLAIO's onderzoeksproject or ontwikkelingsproject.
It is mandatory to indicate within the VLAIO application that the project is part of an international project application, specifying the relevant European partnership.

Pre-Application Requirements

It is strongly advised to contact the supporting agencies (including VLAIO) in each country or region where support is sought prior to the submission of the project proposal.

Deadlines

Application deadlines are set by the individual European calls.
The latest submission deadline mentioned across the various thematic partnerships in the provided documents is 2025-11-14 (for the DUT partnership call).
Other examples of deadlines mentioned: 2025-10-09 (for CETPartnership) and 2025-09-29 (for EP PerMed networking call).

Required Documentation

The required documentation follows the online application procedure for VLAIO's onderzoeksproject or ontwikkelingsproject.
For Chips-JU projects: The consortium leader must submit 'Chips Part-A', 'Chips Part-B', and a 'National Budgets Table'. Flemish applicants are additionally required to submit a 'Part C' to VLAIO, utilizing a specific template titled 'Guiding template for Part C'.

Support Offered

Financial support (subsidies) is offered through VLAIO's R&D instruments.
Information and direct contact points for specific partnerships are available via VLAIO advisors.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation criteria are primarily driven by the specific European partnership's call for proposals, complemented by VLAIO's standard R&D project assessment criteria for national co-funding. Innovation and R&D Content

Project must involve significant research and development activities, characterized as uitdagend en risicovol (challenging and risky).
Alignment with the specific thematic objectives of the chosen European partnership, which include:
- Clean energy transition
- Semiconductor industry development
- Sustainable urban transitions (e.g., Positive Energy Districts, 15-minute City, Circular Urban Economies)
- Personalized medicine
- Non-energy and non-agriculture raw materials (e.g., building materials, industrial/metallic minerals)
- Animal health and welfare
- Software-intensive systems, advanced manufacturing, telecommunications, electronic components & systems (under EUREKA clusters)
- Healthy, safe, environmentally friendly, and economically viable food systems
- Data-driven agri-food systems
- Sustainable shipping and maritime technologies (e.g., zero-emission waterborne transport)
- Materials and engineering
- Sustainable blue economy
- Transformation of health and care systems
- Water security

Collaborative Aspect

Quality and effectiveness of the international consortium and the collaborative approach are key factors.

Impact

Contribution to the objectives of the respective European partnership (e.g., accelerating energy transition, strengthening European semiconductor industry, sustainable urban development, implementing personalized medicine, circular economy).
Expected outcomes and deliverables, demonstrating alignment with VLAIO's innovation goals.
Expected social, economic, or environmental impact (e.g., contributing to a climate-neutral industry, healthy oceans, sustainable health systems).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must comply with relevant Belgian (Flemish) and European regulations governing R&D funding.

International Collaboration Regulations

Projects must adhere to the specific rules and guidelines of the respective European partnership programs (e.g., those stemming from Horizon Europe co-funding).

Ethical Standards

While not explicitly detailed for this umbrella grant, ethical considerations are implicitly required, especially for research in sensitive areas like personalized medicine and animal health.

Risk Management

Projects are explicitly characterized as risicovol (risky), indicating an inherent acceptance of risk within the R&D process. However, sound project planning and risk mitigation strategies are expected.

Special Conditions

The financial support from VLAIO under this framework acts as national co-funding for projects that have been approved or selected at the European level within these specified thematic partnerships.
This grant framework is exclusively thematic, meaning it only supports R&D areas predefined by the European partnerships it collaborates with.
A mandatory prerequisite for obtaining VLAIO support is the applicant's prior successful involvement in, or selection for, an international consortium under one of the eligible European thematic calls.

Grant Details