General Directorate for Technology, Research and Energy (DGTRE)

DGTRE offers a wide range of technical grants for investment projects. Companies defined as Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) can qualify for direct grants of up to 70% of their start-up costs, and other companies up to 50%.

The selection process takes into account the following criteria:

·         Innovative nature of the project

·         Scientific importance of the research and the application of its results

·         Expected results and their importance for the Wallonia region

Interest-Free Loans For Applied Research Programes

Interest-free loans are also granted to finance research programs and working capital.

·         Up to 70% of the start-up costs for an SMB

·         Up to 50% of the start-up costs for other companies

The following criteria are considered:

·         Innovative nature of the project

·         Finalization stages of new products, processes or services

·         The program must result in the installation of an operation being in Wallonia

·         Loan reimbursement is dependent upon the success of the research

First-Enterprise Programs

The objective of the FIRST program is to transfer technical expertise from the universities to local businesses. The program applies to research projects working set up in collaboration with a Wallonia university. The researcher must be under 35 and a first-time applicant. The region covers 80% of the researcher's salary over a period of 18 to 24 months. A company may hold several FIRST on different research programs.

Area considered are: health, environment, energy, mobility/transport, security and space, ICT, biotechnology, food and agriculture, socio-economic sciences and the humanities, nanotechnology, nano-sciences, materials and new production technologies.

In order to be eligible, selected programs must be qualified as industrial and applied R&D. Furthermore, the project should lead to commercial exploitation in Wallonia. The firm should be financially secure and in the position to acquire the necessary funding for the project; the research team should be competent and motivated; the research and its applications should not be harmful to the environment