Do you want to set up an innovative research or development project and call upon the expertise of Flemish or Walloon research institutions or companies? Then discover how you can apply for financial support through the project calls of the Flemish spearhead clusters and strategic research centres (SOCs) or the Walloon competitiveness poles.

Cluster organisations facilitate a network of companies - active in a certain domain - that wish to increase their competitiveness through mutual cooperation and collaboration with knowledge institutions. In Flanders these are the spearhead clusters and in Wallonia these are the poles of competitiveness.

Within the Flemish SOCs and spearhead clusters, a Brussels-based company can also participate in an Interdisciplinary Cooperative Research (ICON) project. In this type of project, new knowledge is developed that can be applied in practice and thus contribute to economic and possibly wider social added value by an ad hoc and balanced consortium of one or more research organisations and at least two mutually independent Flemish enterprises.

The Flemish Strategic Research Centres (SOC):

The Flemisch spearhed clusters:

  • Catalisti (Spearhead cluster Chemics and Plastics)
  • SIM (Strategic Initiative Materials in Flanders)
  • Flux50 (Flemish energy cluster)
  • VIL (the Flemish Innovation Platform for the Logistics Sector)
  • Flanders' FOOD (Spearhead cluster for the agri-food industry)
  • Blauwe Cluster (spearhead cluster for the development and promotion of economic activities at sea)

De Waalse competitiviteitspolen:

  • Logistics in Wallonia (Mobility en transport: Logistics)
  • Skywin (Mobility en transport: Aeronautics and Space)
  • Greenwin (Environment and sustainable development: Green chemistry and sustainable materials)
  • Biowin (Nutrition and health: Biotechnologies in the health sector)
  • Wagralim (Nutrition and health: Agro-industry)
  • Mecatech (Transversal technologies: Mechanical engineering)

 Are you eligible?

  • You have a business with activities in the Brussels-Capital Region.
  • You intend to submit a project together with R&D partners from Flanders or Wallonia for the call of a pole of competitiveness, spearhead cluster or SOC.
  • Your R&D project aims at the development, finishing or implementation of an innovative product, process or service.
  • Your project can have a positive impact on the economy, employment and/or sustainable development of the Brussels-Capital Region.
  • You can bear part of the costs of the project.
  • You have fulfilled your obligations for previous support from the Brussels-Capital Region.

The procedure in 3 steps?

  • Submit your application, together with the other interregional partners, during the call for projects of the pole of competitiveness, spearhead cluster or strategic research centre of your choice, including the appropriate section for Innoviris.
  • Innoviris will check whether you meet the eligibility criteria. Afterwards, the evaluation will be organised together with the relevant spearhead cluster, SOC or pole of competitiveness and funding agencies (VLAIO or DGO6).
  • If your project has received a positive evaluation, as a Brussels partner you can obtain financial support from Innoviris

Other information

  • Keep an eye on the website for the (ICON) project calls of the spearhead clusters, SOCs or poles of competitiveness.
  • As a Brussels partner for the intended submission and collaboration, please contact Innoviris for more details and possibilities.
  • After submitting your grant application via Innoviris, you will receive confirmation of your application within 2 hours. If you do not receive such confirmation, you must contact us in any case.
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