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Soft-landing program for startups

Scaleup Flanders is an immersive, hands-on program designed to get your startup on the rails and grow fast into new markets. 

You will benefit from the support of our local partners who have earned their stripes in coaching ambitious businesses just like yours. They guide you through your challenges, help you explore new commercial contacts and advise you on expanding abroad, raising capital, hiring talent and much more.

Scaleup Flanders is powered by technological industry federation Agoria, imec's business accelerator imec.istart and collective center for the technological industry Sirris.
 

Startup grants and funding

Perfecting your services, developing innovative products or cutting-edge technology and expanding your business abroad – those are all costly endeavors. Luckily, there are multiple grants and funding opportunities available in Flanders to help you keep the financial picture in check.
 

Grants monitored by Flanders Investment & Trade

Driven by its mission to help Flanders-based businesses expand around the globe, government agency Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) — which also powers Startup.Flanders — can help you ease the financial burden. How? With a variety of grants and funding options to help your startup conquer international markets from Flanders: 

  • EUR 9,000 to set up your very first export activities through the internationalization starter pack (calls for proposals) 

  • up to EUR 50,000 in export support in response to Brexit (calls for proposals) depending on the number of people employed by your company 

  • up to 75% of travel and accommodation costs (based on flat-rate amounts) for a prospecting trip or participation in a foreign trade fair or niche outside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway 

  • up to EUR 7,500 for participation in a foreign trade fair

  • up to EUR 3,500 for participation in a niche event  

  • up to EUR 4,500 for the development and translation of digital international commercial business communications 

  • up to EUR 75,000 to set up a prospecting office outside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway 

  • up to EUR 18,750 for a custom international project 

Want to know more about these funding options? Find in-depth information in Dutch here or contact us for more details
 

Grants monitored by Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship

As the government in Flanders' main point of contact for all entrepreneurs, Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) stimulates startups with subsidies that enable growth, development and innovation.

SME e-wallet

Financial aid to invest in external training and advisory services that improve the quality of your startup. 

Up to EUR 7,500

SME growth subsidy

For innovation, digitalization, internationalization or sustainable & circular entrepreneurship.

Up to EUR 50,000 per track

Support for innovative starters

Financial support and guidance for pioneering SMEs in Flanders that are less than 2 years old.

Up to EUR 50,000

R&D feasibility study

Support for a feasibility study in preparation for an innovative project.

40 to 50% of the project budget, up to EUR 50,000 per partner

Research project

A grant to expand or enhance your R&D capacities in order to carry out a high-risk innovation project.

25 to 60% of the project budget, min. EUR 100,000

Development project

A grant to develop new or enhanced products, processes and services that can strengthen your business. 

20 to 50% of the project budget, min. EUR 25,000

Baekeland mandate

Support for a PhD project conducted by a PhD student, and a university and company from Flanders.

50 to 80% of the staff and operating costs of the PhD student

Innovation mandate

Subsidizes strategic basic research by a postgraduate in close collaboration with the industry.

50 to 100% of the staff and operating costs of the researcher

European funding for startups

In addition to the region’s funding opportunities, Flanders is also your access point to various European grants. These can add up to several millions of euros in support of your innovative startup’s ambitions.

Some examples:

Horizon Europe

The EU’s key funding program for research and innovation to support the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and boost the EU's competitiveness and growth.

Total budget: EUR 95.5 billion (2021-2027)

InvestEU Program

The EU's support program that provides long-term funding to boost sustainable investment, innovation and job creation across the EU over the period 2021-2027.

Total budget: > EUR 372 billion (2021-2027)

Europe Innovation Council (EIC)

The flagship innovation program within Horizon Europe to fund startups' scaling processes, breakthrough technologies and game-changing innovations.

EUREKA 

An intergovernmental network that gives access to public funding for market-oriented activities in the fields of research, development and innovation.

The best part

Startup.Flanders keeps track of the European Commission's policy, plans and focal points. As such, we know which benefits to highlight in application files and how to impress the jury during the pitching rounds. And we're happy to share all the tricks of the trade to strengthen your case.

"Together with Flanders Investment & Trade, we had a booth at the startup festival Slush in Helsinki. Participating in an international trade fair like this is ideal to introduce our innovative platform to new customers, resellers and business partners."

Mario Schraepen
founder of LinkedCar
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Working man

Startup.Flanders, the spark to your success

Top-notch support programs, access to multiple regional and European grants, assistance in building a strong funding proposal … These are just some of the ways in which Startup.Flanders has your back.

Startup.Flanders is also here to help you found, scale, join or invest in a startup in Flanders by:

  • setting you up with the right people to speed up your ambitions
  • giving far-reaching advice to establish your business and make it work 
  • providing services and partners that spur your growth, technological skill and success abroad