Name: Onderzoeksproject: subsidie voor innovatie
Funding organization: VLAIO (Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen)
Funding amount: 25% to 60% subsidy on accepted costs, minimum €100,000, maximum €3 million
Project duration: up to 36 months, extensions possible
Objective: Support groundbreaking research projects with high risk and positive impact for company and Flanders
Beneficiaries: Enterprises with legal personality, non-profit and public-law organizations with economic activities in Flemish Region
Funding source: Regional government via Fonds voor Innoveren & Ondernemen (FIO)
Grant frequency: Permanent open call
Eligible organizations: Enterprises with legal personality, non-profit and public-law organizations with operational economic activities in Flemish Region
Must have operational activities or clear start thereof in Flemish Region
Enterprises in difficulty are excluded unless remediation plan is provided
No explicit size restrictions; subsidy rates vary by company size
Cooperation between at least two independent companies (including one SME) increases subsidy rate
Focus on building new knowledge, insights, and skills, technological or non-technological
No sector preference
Projects must clearly deviate from normal business activities and incremental improvements
Expected outcomes: significant innovation and positive impact
Individual projects around specific innovative ideas
Projects involve critical and systematic knowledge building
Must deviate clearly in method, content, results, or risks from normal activities
Project description, impact, and budget templates required
High risk inherent in projects
Cooperation encouraged but not mandatory
Minimum funding: €100,000; maximum funding: €3 million
Subsidy rate: 25% to 50% base, increased by 10-20% for cooperation and company size, max 60% (70% for interregional/international cooperation)
Only costs after project start date eligible
Personnel costs under certain tax exemptions excluded
Financial data and confidential documents required
Permanent open call for applications
Specific defense call (Defensie 2025) closes on 2025-11-04 12:00
Project duration up to 36 months, extensions possible with justification
Valorization in Flanders must be at least 10 times the subsidy within 5 years post-project
Enterprises in difficulty excluded per EU definitions unless remediation plan provided
Must comply with EU General Block Exemption Regulation and amendments
Subsidies exempt from corporate tax
Digital submission via VLAIO portal with eID or authorized representative
Required documents: project description, impact template, budget, company size determination, financial data, remediation plans if applicable
Evaluation by VLAIO and external experts with scoring system
Target processing time: 90 working days
Optional advisory meetings available
Support for projects with military finality since April 2025
High innovation and impact required
Cooperation increases subsidy rate
Enterprises in difficulty must provide remediation plan