Kmo-groeisubsidie by VLAIO (Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen).
Maximum subsidy of €50,000 per growth trajectory.
Up to €25,000 for external advice and/or €25,000 for hiring a strategic employee.
Funding covers 50% of eligible costs.
Project duration and funding disbursement within 24 months after approval.
To subsidize missing strategic knowledge needed for SME growth trajectories.
Focus on innovation, internationalization, digital transformation, and circular/sustainable entrepreneurship.
Stimulate growth and competitiveness of SMEs in Flanders.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and self-employed professionals in the private sector in Flanders.
Competitive calls per theme, three calls annually.
Applicants who received support must wait 24 months before reapplying.
Public subsidy from the Flemish government via VLAIO.
Subject to EU de minimis regulations.
Recurring, with three calls per year (March-April, July-September, November-December).
SMEs according to the European SME definition.
Private sector companies and self-employed professionals (no non-profits).
No specific certifications required for external service providers.
Service providers must demonstrate relevant expertise and experience.
SMEs with fewer than 250 employees and turnover ≤ €50 million or balance sheet total ≤ €43 million.
Size determined including participations and affiliated companies per EU SME rules.
Registered office in the Flemish Region of Belgium.
Applicants must demonstrate sufficient growth ambition.
External advisors must have relevant track record.
No consortium required.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Applicants who received support must wait 24 months before submitting a new application.
No negative equity at application date.
Growth trajectories aligned with innovation, internationalization, digital transformation, or circular and sustainable entrepreneurship.
All sectors eligible if aligned with the themes.
Specific thematic criteria apply per theme.
SMEs and self-employed professionals in the Flemish private sector.
Projects must benefit the Flemish establishment.
No support for one-time export opportunities without long-term strategy.
No support for basic digitalization steps or known technologies without innovation.
No support for non-innovative products or processes.
No support for projects without substantial impact in sustainability theme.
Operational or purely executional activities excluded.
Sustainable growth and increased competitiveness.
Strategic advice or strategic employee contribution impacting growth decisions.
Must align with one of the four specified themes.
Economic growth, competitiveness, digital maturity, innovation leadership, sustainability impact.
Growth trajectory with substantial transformation and strategic impact.
Especially emphasized in the circular and sustainable entrepreneurship theme.
Strategic employee must bring new strategic knowledge impacting growth.
External advisors must have relevant competencies and experience.
Not specified.
Strategic employee must be hired on permanent contract, full or part-time, minimum 6 months.
External advice contracts must be at least €20,000 excluding VAT.
Not specified.
Advice must be strategic, not operational.
Written agreements detailing methodology, objectives, and deliverables required.
Written contracts for advice with detailed description and signatures required.
Change of service provider not allowed except in cases of force majeure (e.g., bankruptcy, death).
Not specified.
Not specified.
Multiple external advisors allowed within one application.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Minimum project cost €20,000 excluding VAT.
Maximum subsidy €50,000 per project (€25,000 for advice and/or €25,000 for hiring).
Eligible: gross first-year salary of strategic employee multiplied by 1.596 (excluding bonuses, benefits, and employer contributions).
Eligible: personnel and operational costs of external advisors, travel costs, and costs for implementation support (excluding VAT).
Ineligible: bonuses, legally required employer contributions, meal vouchers, group insurance contributions, extra-legal pensions, and other benefits.
Subsidy covers 50% of eligible costs.
Applicant must finance the remaining 50%.
Two payments: 50% at project start, 50% at project completion.
Separate payments for advice and hiring if both funded.
Submission of invoices, bank statements, employment contracts, and payroll documents required for payments.
VLAIO may request additional information and verify submitted documents.
Applicant must have sufficient financing to realize and sustain the growth trajectory.
Applicant covers 50% of eligible costs.
Not specified.
No budget overruns allowed beyond approved subsidy amount.
Not specified.
Three calls in 2025: 20 Mar-22 Apr, 1 Jul-1 Sep, 20 Nov-15 Dec.
Applicants must submit within open call periods.
Project duration up to 24 months after subsidy decision.
Advice or hiring must start earliest the first day of the month following application submission.
Final report and financial evidence required at project completion for second payment.
First payment upon project start, second payment upon project completion and approval of final report.
Evaluation based on ambition, transformation, approach, and necessity of expertise.
Not explicitly detailed.
Not specified.
Applicants must submit a detailed project description and trajectory plan.
Project advisors may request oral clarification via Microsoft Teams.
Applicants must describe further steps to sustain growth in final report.
Applicants must comply with applicable laws and regulations.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Projects under circular and sustainable entrepreneurship theme must have substantial environmental impact.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Strategic employee must be hired on permanent contract and comply with labor laws.
Not specified.
Timely submission of reports and evidence required within 24 months.
Not specified.
Applicants must adhere to legal requirements for contracts and employment.
Completed online application form during open call.
Project description (trajectory description).
For external advice: signed service agreement detailing scope, methodology, objectives, start date, price, and signatures.
For strategic employee: job vacancy description and current/future organizational charts indicating employee position.
Register enterprise and fill online form.
Upload required documents.
Submit within call period.
Possible oral clarification via Microsoft Teams if requested.
Ambition, Transformation, Underpinned Approach, Necessity of Knowledge & Expertise.
Minimum ambition level required to be ranked.
Ranking per theme until budget exhausted.
Initial completeness check by VLAIO.
Two project advisors evaluate application.
Decision by VLAIO's general administrator.
Notification via email and e-Box Enterprise.
Applications with highest scores per theme receive funding until budget is depleted.
None specified.
Digital submission via VLAIO's online platform.
Project description, signed contracts, vacancy and organizational charts as applicable.
Oral clarification up to one hour via Microsoft Teams if requested.
Contact via email or phone with VLAIO for support.
Applicants must wait 24 months after positive decision before submitting new application.
Strategic employee must be a new hire, not previously employed or related to the company within 5 years.
External advice must be strategic and not operational.
Strict rules on changing service providers or strategic employee during project.
No changes allowed to approved dossier except in exceptional cases (e.g., death or bankruptcy).
Only one strategic employee supported per project.
Supports growth aligned with Flemish economic priorities and EU SME policies.
Projects with clear, ambitious, and transformative growth plans score higher.
Sustainability and circular economy emphasized in relevant theme.
Digital maturity and innovation leadership emphasized.
Innovation must be new to the sector and present substantial challenges.
Not specified.
Applicants must demonstrate necessity of external knowledge to mitigate growth risks.
Focus on Flemish region SMEs.
Not specified.
SMEs with growth ambitions in specified themes.
Not specified.
Consistent maximum subsidy of €50,000 per project.
Applicants must wait 24 months before reapplying.
Focus on Flemish region.
Broad sector eligibility within thematic focus.
Digital transformation and sustainability increasingly emphasized.
Not specified.
Not specified.
Strict adherence to project plans and strategic focus critical for success.