AGENCE WALLONNE A L EXPORTATION ET AUX INVESTISSEMENTS ETRANGERS

Their core work

AWEX is the public agency of the Walloon Region (Belgium) responsible for export promotion and attracting foreign investment to Wallonia. Within the H2020 context, it operates as the Walloon node of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), coaching innovative SMEs on internationalisation, innovation management, and access to EU funding instruments like the SME Instrument, FTI, and later the EIC. They do not perform research themselves — they help Walloon companies navigate European markets, find partners, and scale up innovations. Think of them as a publicly funded gateway between regional SMEs and European innovation ecosystems.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Across 2017-2021, AWEX's scope shifted from a broad SME innovation and internationalisation mandate toward more specialised EU funding coaching. Early keywords (2017-2018) emphasise general innovation and internationalisation; by 2019-2021, the focus narrows to named EU instruments — FTI, FET-Open, and then EIC coaching in the final project. This mirrors the Commission's own transition from the SME Instrument toward the European Innovation Council.

AWEX is positioning itself as the Walloon entry point for EIC-era instruments, making it a practical partner for SMEs preparing Horizon Europe applications.

How they like to work

AWEX consistently leads — all three H2020 projects are CSAs with AWEX as coordinator of a stable Walloon consortium of 11 partners, all Belgian. This is a closed, loyal regional network rather than a pan-European hub: the same local innovation actors recur across projects. Working with AWEX means tapping into a well-organised regional platform, not a cross-border research consortium.

AWEX has worked with 11 recurring partners, all based in Belgium, forming a tight regional EEN consortium in Wallonia. The geographic footprint is deliberately sub-national rather than European.

What sets them apart

AWEX is not a research organisation — it is a regional public authority with a direct mandate to commercialise and internationalise Walloon innovation. For an SME based in or targeting Wallonia, AWEX offers something most consortium partners cannot: public coaching budgets, access to export promotion tools, and an established pipeline of local innovative companies. For a consortium builder, AWEX is useful when regional uptake, dissemination in Belgium, or SME recruitment in Wallonia is needed.

Highlights from their portfolio

• KAMWAL 2.4
  Latest iteration (2020-2021) that pivots explicitly to EIC coaching, signalling AWEX's alignment with Horizon Europe instruments.
• KAMWAL 2.3
  Transition project that added FTI and FET-Open coaching, broadening the agency's reach into deep-tech and fast-track funding.
• KAMWAL 2.2
  Foundational 2017-2018 EEN services project establishing the Walloon consortium model.