Innoviris reopens its main funding portal for businesses
From next Thursday, Brussels-based businesses will be able to submit funding applications to Innoviris’ s ‘R&D Booster’ scheme, which has an annual budget of 16 million euros in 2027. This reopening is accompanied by simplified procedures and marks a first step in the reform of regional aid for research and innovation.
Boris Dilliès, Minister-President of Brussels responsible for Innoviris: “Brussels has a particularly dynamic and high-performing innovation ecosystem. We must safeguard this asset and enable our businesses to continue to innovate, grow, invest and create jobs. We have listened to their expectations: regional funding must be simpler, clearer and more accessible. The reopening of this main funding portal is a first concrete step. We will continue to reform support for research and innovation to make it more effective and more impact-oriented, whilst adhering to the budgetary framework.”
Named “R&D Booster”, the Innoviris portal will enable Brussels-based businesses to apply, as of Thursday 19 November, for financial support to develop innovative products or services. Projects are assessed on the basis of their level of innovation, their commercial prospects and their benefits for the Region, particularly in terms of economic development and job creation.
To streamline the process and reduce the time spent preparing applications, several improvements have been introduced:
- A single application form to simplify the submission of funding applications.
- The wider roll-out of the ‘Test Your Idea’ scheme, which enables project leaders to obtain initial feedback on their idea based on a brief presentation, before devoting time to preparing a full application.
A new strategy to strengthen research and innovation in Brussels
In March 2026, a few weeks after taking office, Boris Dilliès tasked Innoviris with reviewing its support programmes to better meet the needs of the ecosystem and maximise the impact of regional investments, within a constrained budgetary context. In order to adhere to the Region’s budgetary trajectory whilst safeguarding funding for projects already underway, the channels for submitting new applications had been temporarily suspended and no new calls for proposals had been launched.
During this period, Innoviris engaged in consultation with stakeholders in research and innovation to gather their expectations and adapt the support mechanisms.
The reopening of the application channel for businesses marks the first tangible outcome of this work. The reform of regional support for research and innovation will continue over the coming months, in collaboration with Laurent Hublet, who is responsible for digital innovation at Innoviris.
About Innoviris:
Each year, Innoviris funds an average of 350 projects to support Brussels-based businesses and research institutions in the development of scientific and technological projects, and to promote scientific culture.
Among the companies it supports is Collibra, which specialises in data governance and artificial intelligence. Supported by Innoviris from its inception, the company has become Belgium’s first unicorn. It now has over 1,000 employees.
VoxelSensors is another example of a Brussels-based technology company supported by Innoviris. Specialising in 3D sensor technologies, the company develops solutions designed in particular for smart glasses and humanoid robots. Its journey illustrates our Region’s ability to foster cutting-edge technological innovations and the importance of supporting R&D to enable innovative companies to develop their technology and operations from Brussels.
Press contacts:
Office of the Minister-President:
- Lisa Saoul: 0485 71 14 51
- Christophe Degreef: 0490 05 31 86
Innoviris:
- Sophie Messens: 0495 53 53 46, smessens@innoviris.brussels