Receiving an "OP IN" subsidy for process and/or organisational innovations

Any legal entity that is incorporated as a commercial company and has a business unit in Wallonia, which is classified as an SME according to the European Commission or a small, non-autonomous company (in the latter case, only when in partnership with one or more SMEs)

A small, non-autonomous company is an SME which, due to the nature of its share-holding situation, cannot be viewed as such from a legal point of view.

The maximum portion of admissible expenses covered by the Walloon region is:

• 50% for a small or medium enterprise;
• 15% for a small, non-autonomous company.

A small, non-autonomous company is an SME which, due to the nature of its share-holding situation, cannot be viewed as such from a legal point of view.

• Admissible expenses include:
• staffing costs for researchers and technicians;
• operating costs (cost of materials, supplies, etc.);
• general costs;
• cost of equipment used (acquisition or depreciation);
• subcontracting costs.

Applications for financial support for technological research and innovation may be submitted at any time during the year to the Research projects department

The form, its annexes, practical information concerning the submission of a subsidy application and outlines for the half-yearly reports are available below.

Each project submitted is reviewed by technical manager, who examines the file along with the project leader and the help of the DGO6 Financial analysis department, based on the established criteria.

At the end of the review phase, the file is presented to the selection committee, which issues an opinion to the Minister responsible for research. This committee is made up of representatives of the administration and representatives of the Minister.

In the event funding is granted, the execution of the research phase is subject to technical and financial reports.

You own the results of your research and you may use them in accordance with the agreement and the consortium agreement that is concluded between the partners, where applicable

Deadlines:

You are guaranteed to receive an opinion (be it positive or negative) within 3 months of receiving your completed file

Identification and signing conditions:

Statement to be signed on the paper form

Scanned statement, in the case of electronic submission

Appeal procedures:

The appeal procedures are explained in the downloadable “appeal procedures” document, which is available below:

• contact the relevant administration
• make a claim to the ombudsman for the Walloon region
• to the State Council  • make a request for cancellation to the State Council within 60 calendar days from the date of notification for the disputed decision
• the request for suspension may be submitted before, at the same time as, or after sending the request for cancellation. In exceptional cases, and under specific conditions, you may also request the suspension of the decision in cases of extreme emergency

Eligibility criteria

• The company is incorporated as a commercial company, as referred to by the Companies Code;
• The company has a business unit in Wallonia;
• The company must not be experiencing financial difficulty;
• The company complies with the region’s VAT and social-security regulations;
• The project has not already received public funding.

Assessment criteria

• The innovative nature of the project;
• The quality of the project, its technical feasibility and its relevance to the region's technical and economic needs;
• The company must be able to highlight the expected results of the project;
• The project must aim to contribute to sustainable development;
• The company must be able to cover the current and expected future financial needs of the project, or be able to find additional funding for these needs;
• The project must represent an obvious degree of risk.

Specific criteria:

• The project represents an innovation, or a significant improvement, compared to the current state of the art in the relevant sector within the European Union;
• A project manager is identified and qualified;
• The innovation can potentially be transposed to other sectors;
• The project concerns an innovation that is related to the use or exploitation of information and communication technologies, with a view to modifying the organisation (only for organisational innovation).