Summary
Business vouchers are a scheme that brings together experts (known as certified service providers) with Walloon project leaders and entrepreneurs. What is more, Wallonia contributes to the cost of the expert's services. So you get quality service at an affordable price.
Business vouchers cover all stages of a company's life and development. Discover the different themes and business vouchers available.
Setting up a business
Training on business start-up
Take part in group training courses on a range of subjects related to setting up a business: market research, administrative procedures, state aid, financing, communication, taxation for the self-employed, etc.
Business start-up advice
Get support from a consultant for all the stages of setting up your business: feasibility study, drawing up a business plan, market research, deciding on the legal structure, drawing up a finance application, etc.
Business growth and development
Identify growth opportunities
Do you want to boost your company's growth? Are you planning to diversify your activities? The Diagnosis-Growth voucher enables you to receive support from a consultant to establish a complete or specialised diagnosis of your company. At the end of this analysis, you will receive a proposed action plan to promote growth. You can then decide to continue with the Growth-Support voucher to refine and implement this plan.
Set up an action plan
Working with specialised consultants allows you to optimise your organisational methods and sales strategies. They will help you improve financial aspects, production, logistics, quality management, safety standards, human resources, internal communications, and investment and distribution policies. They can also help you with marketing, market research, communication strategy, business plans and minimum viable products.
Digital
Digitise your processes
Thanks to digital technology, you can automate invoicing, manage inventory in real time, manage holidays, training and salaries, use a CRM to track prospects and customers, automate your marketing campaigns and improve customer support. The Digital Maturity voucher enables you to work with an expert to assess your digital maturity and draw up an action plan. The consultant can also help you draw up specifications and monitor the implementation of the plan.
Secure your data
Do you want to ensure the security of your website, protect your customers' data and guarantee the integrity of your email addresses and maintain control over your Facebook page? The Cybersecurity voucher enables you to receive support from an expert to carry out an audit or diagnosis of your cybersecurity situation and implement the necessary actions.
Circular economy
Do you want to make better use of resources as part of a circular economy and sustainable transition? The Circular Economy voucher can be used to carry out feasibility studies to use fewer materials, facilitate recycling, extend the life span of products and reuse them. These studies analyse economic aspects (impact on prices, market analysis, business plan) and technical aspects (mapping of resources, status of materials, technical approvals, identification of suppliers).
Innovation
Validate your innovation
Are you developing a new product, process or service that requires scientific validation? The Technology voucher puts you in touch with research centres for exploratory trials, technical feasibility studies and preparation for industrialisation, including laboratory tests, energy balances and design of production schemes.
Protect your invention
Would you like to know if your invention is patentable or if someone might object? The Intellectual Property voucher lets you work with specialists to answer these questions. They can also help you analyse existing patents, draw up a patent map for strategic decisions and set up a technology watch adapted to your business.
The Intellectual Property voucher
Internationalisation
Expand your market abroad
The Export Consultancy voucher enables you to work with specialists to refine your strategy, set up an export department, carry out market research, find customers and partners and take part in international tenders. You can also contact graphic designers and communication agencies to adapt your brand image, packaging and product to your target countries.
Export Consultancy vouchers for start-ups (< 5 years)
Export Consultancy vouchers for companies (< 5 years)
Boost your international expansion
Do you want to grow or develop your business internationally? BOOSTER vouchers entitle you to support from experts in international markets for specific short-term missions, or contact export coaches, export webmarketers and language trainers for your international development.
Booster vouchers for start-ups (< 5 years)
Booster vouchers for companies (< 5 years)
Energy
Energy vouchers allow you to obtain a grant for energy audits and studies of your buildings and energy investment projects.
Transfer
Are you thinking of taking over a company or selling your own? The Transfer voucher entitles you to the services of an expert to help you take stock of the situation: is it the right time? How can I prepare the company for sale? What sums would be involved? What are the legal implications? If you decide to go further, we can help you to deepen this diagnosis and prepare the company for sale or takeover, by analysing the accounting and tax aspects and carrying out the necessary audits.
In detail
Business vouchers are aimed at project leaders, self-employed professionals and Walloon businesses. Depending on your profile and your project, you can access different types of vouchers.
Project leaders
A person or group of people who
- has not yet started a business registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE), or is self-employed as their secondary occupation.
- presents a project likely to create or take over a business whose place of business is or will be located in Wallonia.
Self-employed professionals and businesses
An SME* or self-employed professional (legal entity or individual)
- who is not a non-profit association, as they are not eligible for business vouchers.
- whose main place of business is in Wallonia. The main place of business is that which employs the most workers within the business.
- whose key activity is not in a sector excluded pursuant to the de minimis regulation (fishing, aquaculture, the primary production of agricultural products).
*By definition, an SME is a company that employs fewer than 250 people and has an annual turnover under 50 million euros or a total balance sheet that does not exceed 43 million euros. Are you an SME? Take the test! (wallonie.be)
The consultant/expert
The expert you work with must be a certified service provider, i.e. a company or individual who has been authorised to provide services for this scheme. We check both the economic viability and the areas of expertise of our service providers. Find the list of certified service providers on the Business Vouchers (Chèques-entreprises) portal.
The services
Business vouchers don't cover all services offered. Generally, the services covered are limited to consulting.
Explore the vouchers to find out which conditions apply
Caps
- You must not have reached the cap set by the business voucher scheme: There are three cap levels:
- The cap for the voucher.
- The cap for the theme.
- The cap for business vouchers, for all themes, which is €100,000 excluding VAT per calendar year.
- You must not have reached the de minimis cap:
- These regulations set a maximum cap on state aid of €200,000 over a three-year period.
- This cap is reduced to €100,000 for companies in the road transport of people and goods sector.
Wallonia makes a financial contribution to the expert's services. The costs not covered by the voucher (travel expenses, production costs, etc.) and VAT are your responsibility.
All applications are submitted via the business vouchers platform, and will be processed electronically.
- Ministerial decree – “Internationalisation” theme
- Decree of 21 December 2019 regarding the granting of aids, by means of an integrated aid portfolio in the Walloon region, to project leaders and small and medium enterprises, in order to cover services promoting entrepreneurship or growth, and constituting a database of authentic sources related to the integrated portfolio
- Decree from the Walloon government of 23 February 2017 regarding the execution of chapters 1, 3 and 4 of the Decree of 21 December 2019 regarding the granting of aids, by means of an integrated aid portfolio in the Walloon region, to project leaders and small and medium enterprises, in order to cover services promoting entrepreneurship or growth, and constituting a database of authentic sources related to the integrated portfolio
- Ministerial decree – “Creation” theme
- Ministerial decree – “Growth” theme
- Ministerial decree – “Digital” theme
- Ministerial decree – “Innovation” theme
- Ministerial decree – “Transfer” theme
- Ministerial decree – “Circular Economy” theme
- Modification of Ministerial decree – “Circular Economy” theme
If you wish to contest the decision, you can contact the Business Vouchers team, lodge an appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court of Belgium or contact the services of the Ombudsman of Wallonia and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
In the event of proceedings for suspension or annulment before the Supreme Administrative Court of Belgium, a request must be sent to the latter, either by registered letter (rue de la Science, 33, 1040 Brussels), or by electronic means. The petition for annulment must be lodged within 60 days of notification of the decision.
