Financing of the Business Clusters

Wallonia financially supports the operational units of the business clusters, as well as co-operation projects.

1. Acknowledgement and acknowledgement renewal files

The subsidy awarded to the business clusters within the frame of the Decree of 18 January 2007 is established on a three-year basis and is a degressive one.

Eligible costs are set by the Government and are subject to a €160,000 yearly ceiling.

The eligible expenses used as a basis for the calculation of the subsidy are the structural and organizational costs directly related to the installation, the daily operation and the development of the business cluster, except for the costs financed by other (regional, national or community) public incentives programmes.

The subsidy covers a percentage of these costs fixed as follows : 1° the first three years, 100% of the costs ; 2° the three following years, 80% of the costs ; 3° the following years, 50% of the costs. 

To benefit from the renewal of the subsidy at the end of the 1st 3-year period, the cluster should provide a new action plan with new targets to reach during the renewal period.

For more details, see article 3 § 1st of the Decree of 18 January 2007.

2. Specific subsidy files

In the frame of the Decree of 18 January 2007, the Government may award a specific subsidy to the business cluster which:

  • either develops a partnership with a view to its participation in an i nternational co-operation programme ;
  • or concludes a co-operation agreement between business clusters in order to carry out a specific task, including on an international scale.

The ceiling of the support within the framework of the specific subsidy referred to above cannot exceed EUR 24,000.

To benefit from this specific subsidy, the business cluster will have to introduce a file presenting its project to the Direction des Réseaux d'entreprises .

For more details, see article 3 § 2 of the Decree of 18 January 2007.