Innovation Clusters (Innovatieclusters)

VLAIO's Innovation Clusters programme funds cluster organisations that have a mandate from at least 30 Flemish companies to coordinate demand-driven innovation networks. It is designed for collective coordination rather than for individual company projects, and it sits inside the Flemish agency's wider support line for innovation collaboration. The programme covers 50% of cluster coordination costs, up to €225,000 per year for as long as three years. It supports both the smaller bottom-up Innovatieve bedrijfsnetwerken and the larger Speerpuntclusters linked to Flemish strategic priorities, so the route can back a local network or a more formal triple-helix cluster. Applicants need a legal cluster organisation that can hold a company mandate, co-finance the work and keep the network active over several years. The route suits organisations that can turn a broad industrial base into a working programme with shared priorities, regular coordination and a clear reason for companies to keep participating. The support is meant for coordination capacity, so the practical test is whether the cluster can keep companies aligned around a real agenda.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.