VLAIO - Living labs circular economy 2025

Research

Funding organisation:

Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen

What?

In the 2025 call, VLAIO is looking for projects that envisage one or more additional action(s) not yet contained in a living lab application. These action(s) can act as broadly applicable, solvable solutions for multiple companies or organisations. Living labs can join forces to submit a joint project proposal that stems from the initial project applications and proves relevant to more than one living lab.

This is therefore not a continuation of ongoing living lab projects. The aim is to realise the additional opportunities linked to the initial challenge by means of a small impulse towards existing collaborations. These opportunities were not foreseen at the start of the living lab and can also be described in concrete actions, translated into an action plan. The focus on specific sectors in the Flemish region remains the same as the initial living lab calls.

Actions resulting from living labs meet at least the following characteristics:

• Result from evolving insight and changing context of the already completed project period of the living lab where development and cooperation with companies is considered necessary.
• Envisage a wide reach of companies where companies that were not yet part of the consortium can use the solution to be tested without discrimination.
• Offer potential for scale-up.

Knowledge sharing is inherently part of the project. Wide dissemination of the accumulated knowledge is mandatory.

The total funding amount is € 2.000.000. The maximum funding that can be awarded per project is € 200.000 with a project maximum duration of 2 years. This amount can be increased to a maximum of € 500.000 if several consortia of living labs work together. The maximum grant rate for the entire project is set at a maximum of 80% of the total accepted project cost.  
  

Who?

Partnerships consist of organisations necessary to develop the idea. A clear link must be demonstrated with the operation of the pulling members of the living lab consortium. By this we mean the Living Labs from the calls 2022 and 2023. There is the possibility of attracting additional partners if necessary to valorise the detected opportunity.

To develop this partnership, VLAIO provides support.

The application must be submitted by a consortium of at least two complementary partners. The partnership can be composed of various actors such as authorities, research institutions, sector federations, non-profit organisations, financial institutions,..... The composition depends on the challenge that will be deployed and the value chain or ecosystem associated with it.

Within this partnership, it is important to think carefully about the different roles of the partners: applicant, project partner, subcontractor. These different roles are further explained in the manual.
  

Application?

The submission of a Living labs circular economy project consists of 2 steps:

1. Mandatory pre-registration and preparation pitch.
   No later than June 30, 2025 (10:00) the filled-out pre-registration template as well as a PowerPoint of the pitch are to send to circulair@vlaio.be. A copy of your pre-registration document must be sent to research@uhasselt.be.
   In the week of July 7, 2025 you are invited to pitch the project to VLAIO.
   
   
2. Mandatory submission via the online platform of the project application and all attachments no later than September 15, 2025 (23:59). 

Submitting an application is done online. To start an application, you must register with your e-ID via the VLAIO website. After registration, as the main applicant you will receive a specific link to further complete your application and load all pre-filled templates. After adding any partners, they too can complete their part of the application via their specific link.

Only OBI is allowed to submit the part for the "kennisinstelling", as they have a mandate to do so.
  

More information?

VLAIO organises:

• an online info session for this new call June 5, 2025 (10:00). Register here before June 4, 2025 (10:00).

You can find more information about this call 
on the VLAIO - website
in the manual

Please contact research@uhasselt.be or sarah.szyr@uhasselt.be if you want to apply.

OBI:

• Helps with process-related questions (e.g. questions about the application template, submission procedure etc.)
• Acts as an intermediary between the researchers and VLAIO
• Acts as an intermediary when internal (TTO, PER, FIN) or external consultation is necessary
• Helps with preparing the project budget
• Checks the final project budget
• Helps with administrative formalities relating to Hasselt University
• Has the mandate to submit the application for Hasselt University

Deadline

30.06.2025

Contact Hasselt University?

E-mail sarah.szyr@uhasselt.be

Tel. +3211269052