Innovation Clusters (Innovatieclusters)

Innovation Clusters (Innovatieclusters)

Supports the VLAIO Innovatieve Bedrijfsnetwerken program that connects Flemish enterprise consortia and co-finances collaborative innovation clusters.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The third call for Innovatieve bedrijfsnetwerken is a VLAIO programme supporting the formation and strengthening of demand-driven innovation clusters among Flemish companies. Clusters are defined as networks of enterprises and other actors that collaborate around a specific theme or domain, with active involvement and steering by member companies. The programme targets consortia of Flemish enterprises with growth ambitions, a strong innovation focus, international orientation, and willingness to cooperate with other firms and knowledge institutions. A cluster organisation acts as facilitator and representative of the cluster members and is the formal recipient of the subsidy.

Only a legal entity with at least 30 mandating Flemish companies can apply. The subsidy covers 50% of cluster coordination costs, capped at EUR 225,000 per year over a maximum period of three years — yielding a total ceiling of EUR 675,000 per network. The remaining 50% is contributed by the member enterprises: for every euro of company contribution, the Flemish government provides one euro of subsidy. The call is thematically open but requires alignment with Flemish policy priorities; project themes are bottom-up but must fit within those priorities to qualify.

The third call followed a two-stage process. A mandatory pre-registration with a brief project outline was required by 23 January 2026 at 12:00; organisations that did not file by this deadline were ineligible to submit a full dossier. The full dossier submission deadline was 11 May 2026 at 12:00. Enquiries are handled by VLAIO at clusters@vlaio.be. Applicants aiming to succeed should demonstrate broad enterprise engagement (well above the 30-company floor), clear alignment with a specific Flemish policy priority, and a concrete plan for how the network will increase member competitiveness through open innovation, supply-chain collaboration, or cross-sectoral initiatives.