Applying for an investment allowance (large company)

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Summary

You are a large company (including non-profit organisations carrying out economic activities);
AND your company has, or will create, an establishment unit in Wallonia;
AND you plan to carry out investments in a development area.

Wallonia may grant you an investment grant, the amount of which will depend on the following criteria:

the location of the investment;
the assessment criteria met (the job retention criterion must be met at a minimum).

Under certain conditions, you may also benefit from an exemption from property tax (précompte immobilier).

Does your project meet the requirements?

By taking a short test, you can obtain an initial indication of whether your project is eligible for investment aid in Wallonia. → Check my project's eligibility (only available in French)

Key points

You must submit an application form requesting authorisation to start an investment programme before entering into any initial commitments related to the investments (purchase orders, contracts, etc.).

In detail

Target audience - details

Large companies (LC)

Benefits

If your project meets all the requirements, you may be eligible for investment aid ranging from 4% to 18% of the amount invested. The aid rate granted depends on the type of investment, the objectives pursued, and the location of the project.

Under certain conditions, you may also benefit from an exemption from property tax.

Procedure

Below are the different steps required to ensure that your application is valid:

Submit an application form requesting authorisation to start an investment programme via "Mon Espace".
The date on which the application is submitted to the Administration is important, as it determines the date from which work related to the investment programme may begin.
You must first apply for a "Company Passport" before completing the investment aid application form.
Your "Company Passport" application must be completed using the online form available on "Mon Espace". Once your application has been validated, you will receive an acknowledgment of receipt by email, including a reference number.
Complete the investment aid application form no later than six months after receiving authorisation to start the investment programme.You must indicate the reference number or decision relating to your "Company Passport".
Your application will then be examined by the Administration. Once the assessment has been completed, you will receive the decision by post.
You may then submit a request for payment of the grant using the documents enclosed with the decision.

To assist you with your administrative procedures, you may contact the Administration's departments directly.

All applications for aid may be submitted in French or German.

Délais

Every effort is made to process applications within a reasonable timeframe. This timeframe may vary depending on the complexity of the application, any requests for additional information, any required opinions or assessments, and the budget available under the aid scheme.

There is no mandatory deadline for submitting an investment aid application.

The deadlines provided are guidance deadlines (see procedure), meaning they are intended to enable the administration to process applications efficiently. Failure to comply with these deadlines does not automatically render the application inadmissible or result in the loss of eligibility for the aid.

Nevertheless, applicants are encouraged to respect these deadlines in order to facilitate the assessment of their application and avoid delays in processing.

Conditions

To be eligible for this grant, you must meet at least all of the following conditions:

Submit your application before entering into any binding commitments related to the investment (purchase orders, contracts, etc.), indicating the amount of aid required for the project;
Plan to carry out, within a development area in Wallonia, an initial investment in favour of a new economic activity, namely:
- the establishment of a new facility (operating site, business premises, branch office, etc.);
- or the diversification of the activity of an existing establishment (the new activity must not be identical or similar to the activity previously carried out at that establishment – different 4-digit NACE code);
- or the acquisition of an establishment that has closed or would have closed without the acquisition, provided that it is acquired by an investor unrelated to the seller and that the new activity carried out using the acquired assets is not identical or similar to the activity carried out at the establishment before the acquisition.

In type "a" development areas, namely the provinces of Luxembourg and Hainaut, all types of projects are eligible: establishment of a new facility, capacity expansion, product or activity diversification, and a fundamental change in the production process.

Carry out an activity in one of the eligible sectors;
Present an eligible investment programme with a minimum value of EUR 1 million;
Your investment programme must meet several assessment criteria from at least two different categories and achieve a minimum score of 30 out of 100 points in order to qualify for aid. The "job retention" criterion must be met in order to be eligible for support;
Ensure at least 25% of the financing of the investment programme through own resources or external financing that is not supported by public funding;
Not be a company in financial difficulty.