As we close the summer season, the PwC Incentives Hub has been diligently monitoring the incentives landscape. We offer you following insightful overview of incentive topics that may be relevant for your company.
Water4all
In the last few years, Europe has been experiencing the consequences of climate change, including extreme weather conditions such as droughts and floods. These challenges have highlighted the need for innovative solutions in water management and environmental conservation. To tackle this on an international level, the Water4All initiative was launched. This project call is aimed at addressing pressing environmental challenges related to water management and aquatic ecosystems. The Water4All project call is part of a co-funded European partnership that encourages international collaboration on research and innovation projects. The goal of this collaboration is to generate knowledge, models, approaches, tools, and methodologies to tackle the current challenges and knowledge gaps related to services provided by aquatic ecosystems.
Project proposals must align with one of the following themes:
- Mapping, monitoring, and assessment of ecosystem services in changing contexts,
- Understanding and predicting pressures and impacts on ecosystem services;
- Developing tools and solutions for integrating ecosystem services into water resource management.
Key considerations:
- Global budget of approximately € 87 M;
- Flemish companies can apply through VLAIO for support, with maximum support per project capped at € 500 k;
- Walloon companies can apply through Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) for support, with a maximum support per project of € 300 k;
- Project consortia must include at least 3 partners and a maximum of 7 partners from at least 2 different countries involved in the Water4All partnership;
- EU countries
- Brazil, Israel, Moldova, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom;
- Participating partners apply for support within their own regions through existing support mechanisms;
- Projects are expected to start at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025, with a duration of 36 months.
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Flanders/Wallonia – Interreg
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) aimed at promoting economic and social cohesion in the European Union by balancing development between regions. The Flemish ERDF Programme 2021 – 2027 aims to boost sustainable growth and competitiveness in Flanders while transitioning to a low-carbon, circular, and energy-efficient economy. It contributes to reducing Flemish CO2 emissions and aligns with the European Green Deal. In September, 4 new ERDF Calls were opened in the context of ‘Smart and Sustainable Flanders’. These ERDF Calls are part of the broader efforts to drive economic growth, innovation, and sustainability in Flanders through EU support
The themes are (1) strengthening research and innovation capacity, (2) skills development for smart specialization, industrial transition and entrepreneurship, (3) renewable energy, and (4) sustainable mobility;
The Walloon FEDER/FTJ program 2021-2027 is also in effect, offering various measures for businesses in particular to support them in financing their research program, their growth or even their low-carbon transition.
Key considerations:
- Project support ranges between € 1.5 M to € 5 M on average, depending on project scope and specific call.
If you would like more information on any of these topics, do not hesitate to contact the PwC Incentives Hub or your usual PwC contact. We are happy to help.
