Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen (VLAIO) is the Flemish government’s agency for innovation and entrepreneurship. It supports start-ups, SMEs and larger companies in Flanders, Belgium, by financing research, development and innovation, and by providing advisory services through a partner network. VLAIO manages a portfolio of grants and instruments for R&D projects, feasibility studies, digitalization, sustainability and energy efficiency, and facilitates cooperation between businesses, universities and research organizations.
For the chemical and plastics sectors, VLAIO is a key enabler of collaborative R&D and industrial transformation. It funds and coordinates programs with industry clusters and knowledge institutions—such as spearhead cluster initiatives—covering process intensification, circular economy and recycling, bio-based and low-carbon materials, and pilot and demonstration projects. The agency’s cluster policy, innovation mandates and cooperative research schemes help translate scientific advances into scalable industrial applications, strengthen supply chains, and accelerate the sector’s transition toward safer, more efficient and lower-emission production in Flanders.