Applying for an investment allowance co-financed by the ERDF 2021-2027

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME)

In order to benefit from this allowance, you must satisfy all the following conditions as a minimum:

• own or create an establishment unit (place of business, head office, branch, etc.) in Wallonia;
  
  
• be planning to make eligible investments in a development zone;
  
  
• perform a relevant activity in the manufacturing sector;
  
  
• carry out an investment programme that:
• is in one of the Section 3 strategic intervention areas, or;
• aims primarily to bring an innovative product to market, or;
• aims primarily for the digital transformation of production, or;
• aims primarily for the circularity of products or services at different stages in their lifecycles (extraction, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, use, life span, repair, recycling and end of life): optimised management of material flows, optimisation of the product's life span, integration of the product's end of life, sustainable supply of resources, use of short circuits, or;
• aims primarily to reduce the carbon footprint through a more rational use of energy or reduce the environmental impact of production through the use of the best available environmental technologies.

• present an admissible investment programme of at least €125,000 for small enterprises and €250,000 for medium-sized enterprises;
   
• submit its application before making any firm commitments regarding the investments (purchase orders, etc.) and indicate the amount of assistance required by the project;
   
• not be a company experiencing financial difficulty.

It should be noted that the allowance is limited to €100,000 per job created.

Eligible SMEs are those in the sectors eligible for traditional SME assistance and which operate in the manufacturing industry.

You will find the various steps to take to validate your case file below:
 

1. You must submit an authorisation application form to begin an investment programme via My Space. Once you validate the application, you will receive confirmation of receipt by email with a reference number.

The date on which the application is sent to the administration is important: this is the date from which the works corresponding to the programme may start. The start of the works is defined as the start of the construction works linked to the investment, that is, the first legally binding order for equipment, or any other commitment that makes the investment irreversible, depending on which event occurs first.

• You must submit an application for a "Company passport" before completing the intervention application form.

Your application for a "Company passport" must be completed via an online form available via My Space. Once you validate the application, you will receive confirmation of receipt by email with a reference number.
 

• You must complete the investment allowance application form no later than six months from the authorisation date to begin. On this, you should indicate the reference number or the decision number of the "Company passport".
   
• Your application is analysed by the relevant department. On the basis of this analysis, you will receive the decision by mail.
   
• You can submit an application for the payment of the allowance using the documents attached to the decision.

The supporting documents to be provided by the user are indicated on the intervention application form and in the explanatory notes (which can be downloaded from the "useful documents" section of this procedure).

The appeal options are always stated if the allowance is refused. There are no costs for submitting applications for the allowance.

Every effort is made to process applications within a reasonable timeframe, which may vary depending on the complexity of the file, requests for additional information, requests for the opinions required and, where appropriate, to assess the allowance and the available budget of the assistance scheme.

You can contact the Administration directly for help with your administrative processes.

All applications for assistance must be completed in French or German.

• Decree of 11 March 2004 concerning regional incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises
• Decree of 6 May 2004 concerning the execution of the Decree of 11 March concerning regional incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises and amendments
• Walloon Government Decree of 5 April 2023 amending the Walloon Government Decree of 6 May 2004 implementing the decree of 11 March 2004 on regional incentives for small or medium-sized enterprises