Assistance with R&D Programs

At the European Level

The EU launched the European Research Area (ERA) in 2000. The ERA puts the continent's best minds together and encourages researchers to pool their efforts, concentrate on excellence, and work toward common goals. Just as the EU's Single Market allows for the free flow of goods, services, people and capital, the ERA encourages scientists to work and cooperate on projects throughout the EU. The European Research Council is the first pan-European funding entity for cutting-edge, researcher-driven work.

Late in 2006, the EU launched the 7th Research Framework Program (FP7) directing more than 54 billion Euros in funding toward a common reserarch program from 2007-2013. For more information, download EUFocus (PDF-1.89MB).

More funding opportunities at the European level include:

• COST (European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research)
• EUREKA-Belgium (coordinated by the DGRTRE)
• GMES
• INTAS
• Belgian National Focal Points: ETFRN (European Tropical Forest Research Network) , ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting)

At the Federal Level (Belgium)

The Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs (OSTC) has a coordinating and programming role at the federal level. It also plans and implements various national research initiatives. The most reknowned are the Interuniversity centers (PAI) and the boosting programs (in particular Global Change, Normalization, etc.). The other federal department research budgets include: Economic Affairs, Agriculture, Development Co-operation, Defense and Health/ Environment.

At the Regional Level (Wallonia)

The Walloon region General Directorate for Technology, Research and Energy (DGTRE) co-finances company research and offers a subcontracting option to research centers or university teams. The DGTRE has a multidisciplinary team of more than one hundred people including engineers, legal experts and economists who act as liaison between all aspects of R&D (universities, research centers, companies, and professional federations). The assistance differs according to the stages of the new products or processes concerned and covers part of the basic or applied research costs, as well as technical and economical feasibility studies, human potential and technology transfer resources.