Win4Doc

Win4Doc (Seed)

Funds Walloon companies hiring doctoral researchers through a programme sharing salary and project support.

Win4Doc is an annual grant administered by Service Public de Wallonie Économie, Emploi, Recherche (SPW Recherche) that subsidizes Walloon companies hosting a pre-doctoral researcher to complete a full doctoral thesis within the firm in partnership with a Walloon university or higher-education institution. The programme targets all thematic priorities of Wallonia's RIS3 smart-specialisation strategy, encompassing biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, materials science, digital technologies, and climate innovation. Applications are accepted once per year on an annual call basis.

Subsidy rates are tiered by company size: 70% for small enterprises, 60% for medium enterprises, and 50% for large companies. Covered costs include the researcher's gross salary, a fixed operating-cost allowance capped at €80,000, a 15% management overhead, and university-partner subcontracting or coordination fees capped at a further €80,000. The researcher must hold a pre-doctoral diploma obtained within the ten years preceding the application date and must be employed by the sponsoring company no later than the call's reference date. Consortia are capped at three partners maximum — the host company plus up to two university partners. Members of the university research entity may not simultaneously sit on the company's board of directors. The company must operate a recognised business unit in Wallonia and be in good standing with regional obligations.

To maximise competitiveness, applicants should align the thesis topic tightly with the company's core R&D roadmap, select a university partner with demonstrated expertise in the chosen domain, and ensure the researcher's diploma date falls comfortably within the ten-year window. The 2025–2026 cycle was stated as open; applicants should monitor SPW Recherche's official portal at recherche.wallonie.be for the annual call notice and submission deadline, as exact dates are published at the opening of each cycle.