Projects

You may officially submit a project for a cluster only when there is a call for projects. But prior to this, you can contact the competitive cluster concerned in order to get your project under way.

What should you do if you wish to submit a project for a competitive cluster ?

1/ Which criteria for my project ?

If you have a project which meets these four criteria :

• partnership,
• innovation,
• critical mass,
• international visibility.

2/ Which competitive Cluster for my project ?

Visit the websites of the competitive clusters. They will provide you with information on:

• their main strategic lines
• their first concrete projects
• how to express your interest.

3/ Get your project under way with the help of a competitive cluster

The people in charge of the competitive cluster will help you design your project and prepare a convincing presentation. You can also ask the competitive cluster to help you find partners representing the business, research and training circles.

A schedule must be established, defining the start and the end of the project, and  the expected results during this given period should be identified.

The budget for the project must be evaluated, by indicating the sources of financing (public and private) and mentioning the expected financial support. The impact on employment will also be assessed.

We also invite you to consult the document relating to the guiding principles applying to intellectual property within the framework of research projects.

4/ Submit your project

During the next call for projects, submit your project to the competitive cluster, which will evaluate it and decide to submit it to an international jury. The jury will then assess its value, relevance and validity.

5/ Finance your project

Regional aid for projects labelled by the competitive clusters:

• Public investments in infrastructures and equipment directly or indirectly  related to the competitive clusters;
• Research incentives on the basis of the Walloon decree of 03 July 2008 ;
• Investment subsidies allocated to companies in accordance with the decree of 11 March 2004 ;
• Aids for financing specific training actions necessary for the development of the competitive clusters.

Advantages

In general, the projects submitted within the framework of the competitive cluster policy are guaranteed:

• to benefit from a prompt processing of the files
• to obtain a maximum rate of investment support.
• to be able to choose between repayable grants or low-interest subsidies as regards research incentives.