It is important to note that over thirty public institutions offer aid before completing an application for public aid (subsidy, financing, employment bonus, etc.). As such, the granting conditions may differ greatly among different forms of aid. The criteria can be different between two institutions! Even within one institution, the criteria can vary from one form of assistance to another. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly check the grant and reimbursement conditions before applying for the desired aid.
To increase your chances of getting a subsidy, remember these crucial points when applying for public aid, whether it is granted by European, federal, regional, municipal or Community institutions.
- A basic principle shared by all public aids is that the conditions for granting are based on elimination. To get a subsidy, you must meet all of the granting conditions. If you fulfil 9 of the 10 required conditions, you will not be eligible for the allowance, so there is no point in filling out a request file.
- Some conditions are factual: either your company meets them, or it doesn’t. For example:
- Your company has established its operational headquarters in one of the 19 communes of the Brussels-Capital Region;
- the age of your company (date of registration with the BCE) can be a determining factor;
- your project must showcase a high level of innovative potential ;
- you need to integrate the concepts of the circular economy into your project;
- you must be a new employer;
- etc.
- Other conditions depend on your diligence in following instructions. For example:
- not making any payments (or even a deposit!) or signing an estimate or contract before sending the file AND receiving an acknowledgement of receipt from the administration ;
- complying with the submission deadlines for aid request files;
- not registering as an independent (= obtaining a business number) before collecting the documents needed to apply for aid;
- meeting minimum billing amounts;
- you cannot combine some aids and you must choose one or the other;
- etc.
- It's essential to understand the reimbursement conditions. Many public aids require you to continue the activity for a specified period (e.g., investment premium: 5 years) to qualify for reimbursement.
Two examples to illustrate our point
The conditions for granting vary from one institution to another. Let us take two different regional institutions as an example:
- For certain grants from Brussels Economy and Employment, you must not make any payments (or even a deposit !) or sign an estimate before sending the file ANd receiving an acknowledgement of receipt from the administration.
- For certain grants of Environment Brussels, you make the allowance request after the works are completed. The request form must be accompanied by the detailed balance invoice and proof of payment.
Within a group of grants from the same institution, criteria may also differ from one grant to another. So let us look at the aid from the same institution, such as Brussels Economy and Employment:
- The company start-up allowance (FR) is intended for future entrepreneurs. They must have a concrete company creation project but cannot have had independent status in the three years before the aid request is received (except student-independent status)
- The consulting allowance (FR) applies to micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses with operational headquarters in the Brussels-Capital Region. In other words, this aid does not apply to companies in the process of being created, but to companies which already have a company number.
And to wrap up our key points, here are our final tips
- Use our search engine to look for subsidies or financing that may interest you. To quickly provide you with an overview and help you avoid having to visit and juggle multiple websites, we have collected the various public aids for (future) Brussels companies: there are more than a hundred!
- Don’t hesitate to call the Brussels entrepreneurship network! A series of support organisations can help you develop your company project, including filling out an allowance or financing application file. You can find the details of these organizations in our “Who can help me?” section.
Economic transition
The Brussels-Capital Region provides a range of subsidies for sustainable activities, circular projects and social enterprises. Find out more in this section.
Who can help me ?