Crossroads - INTERREG Flanders-Netherlands

CrossRoads Flanders-Netherlands stimulates cross-border cooperation between SMEs in Flanders and the southern Netherlands (Zeeland, North Brabant, Limburg and South Holland). The project supports companies in finding a partner across the border and subsidizes product or process innovations with a focus on sustainable entrepreneurship, renewable energy, industry 4.0 and health.

Subsidy

What can you apply for?

Grants for innovation projects:

• The project is aimed at developing and demonstrating prototypes of a new process, product or service with an explicit contribution to one or more of the following societal transition domains:
  • Sustainable business
  .
  • Sustainable energy
  • Health
  • Industry 4.0
• It involves a partnership between at least one SME from the southern Netherlands and one SME from Flanders
.
• 50% subsidies, up to a maximum of €250,000 per project
• Eligible costs are: personnel costs, consumables costs and external costs/subcontractors
• A maximum lead time of 24 months

Who is eligible?

SMEs/SMEs meeting the EU definition:

• An SME is an independent company with less than 250 employees and either an annual turnover not exceeding €50 million or a balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million.
• A company that finds that it exceeded the criteria in the last completed financial year loses the status of SME (or ko) only if this situation occurs during two consecutive financial years and vice versa.

An enterprise in difficulty (OIM):

• An SME is SMO when the last annual accounts, whether filed or not, of the applicant company show that its equity capital (EV) is less than 50% of its subscribed capital (subscribed capital)
.
• Exception: an SME that has been in existence for less than 3 years cannot be an SMO.

Based in the region of Flanders/South Netherlands

Knowledge institutions/large companies can participate:

• if they are not the receiving project partner
• as an external service provider on a bid basis
• as an unpaid partner (receives no grant)

What is eligible?

Criteria:

• Innovative nature of the project
.
• Economic impact
• Contribution to societal transition domains
• Cross-border added value of the collaboration
• Quality of the application
• Competencies of the implementers

How to apply?

Calls in the period 2023-2026:

• €10 million budget in total
• 2 calls per year
• Ranking based on score on the above criteria
• Allocation based on ranking and available funds
• Calls are announced through Interreg Flanders-Netherlands and the project partners
.

The fourth opening is foreseen from March 1, 2025, 00:00 am to April 25, 2025, 15:00 pm.