Wallonia opens €30M call for business-research innovation projects
What's the deal? Wallonia's public research service, SPW Recherche, has opened a €30 million call for collaborative innovation projects, in partnership with the region's competitiveness clusters. Announced on November 3, the Win4Consortium 2026-2027 programme funds research partnerships between companies and research organisations with concrete prospects for new products, processes, or services in Wallonia.
Who can apply? Each consortium needs at least two Walloon companies, including one small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), and two Walloon research actors. Projects can run for up to 36 months.
How much funding? Companies can receive grants covering 40%, 50%, or 60% of costs, depending on their size, while research actors are funded at 85% or 100%.
What's required? Projects must fall within one of Wallonia's five Strategic Innovation Domains: food, health, protection, decarbonisation, or industrialisation. Beyond technology, economic impact is decisive — applicants must show clear routes to commercial use and demonstrate economic returns for the region.
Why now? The call is an early piece of Wallonia's new 2027-2034 Research-Innovation-Economy strategy, which aims to direct at least 75% of regional research resources toward those five domains. The reform is designed to simplify support and focus funding on projects with stronger market potential.
Key dates: Applicants must file a declaration of intent by November 24, 2026, with the full dossier due February 4, 2027.
The signal: Its emphasis on economic valorisation makes this less a one-off funding windfall than a test of whether Wallonia's new priorities can turn research partnerships into marketable products, services, and jobs.
Read more: polemecatech.be
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