AGENTSCHAP VOOR INNOVATIE DOOR WETENSCHAP EN TECHNOLOGIE

Their core work

IWT was the Flemish government agency responsible for funding and accelerating innovation through science and technology in Belgium's Flanders region. Within H2020, IWT exclusively participated in ERA-NET Cofund actions, acting as a national funding body that co-financed transnational research calls across energy, environment, materials, and food systems. Their role was not to perform research but to channel Flemish public funding into cross-border collaborative research programmes, connecting Belgian researchers with European partners. IWT has since been restructured into VLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship), continuing its mission of bridging science and industry.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

IWT's early H2020 involvement (2015) concentrated on energy transition topics — offshore wind, smart grids, renewable integration — alongside sustainable agriculture and bioeconomy. By 2016, the portfolio broadened to include photonic sensing, advanced materials, and water resource efficiency, signalling a shift toward cross-cutting enabling technologies. The evolution reflects a deliberate widening from sector-specific energy funding toward multi-domain innovation support, consistent with a national agency preparing broader innovation programmes.

IWT moved from pure energy/agriculture funding toward sensing, materials, and monitoring technologies — suggesting Flanders was investing in platform technologies applicable across multiple industries.

How they like to work

IWT participated exclusively as a non-coordinating partner in all seven projects, which is typical for national funding agencies in ERA-NET Cofund schemes — their role is to commit national funds rather than lead research. With 92 unique partners across 39 countries, IWT operated as a high-connectivity hub, linking Flemish researchers into diverse international consortia. This broad, non-repeating partner base reflects their function as a gateway: partnering with IWT meant gaining access to Flemish research funding and the innovation ecosystem behind it.

Remarkably wide network for just 7 projects: 92 unique partners across 39 countries, spanning well beyond the EU into associated and third countries. This breadth comes from the ERA-NET model, where each cofund action brings together 15-20+ national funding agencies.

What sets them apart

IWT's distinctiveness lies in its role as a gateway to Flemish public innovation funding. Unlike research institutes or companies, partnering with IWT in an ERA-NET meant that Belgian research teams could access co-funding for transnational projects. For consortium builders, IWT (now VLAIO) represented an institutional commitment from the Flemish government to back specific research domains — a signal of long-term regional policy priority rather than a one-off project interest.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ERANet SmartGridPlus
  The only project where IWT received substantial EC funding (EUR 162,913), focused on deep knowledge sharing between regional and European smart grid initiatives.
• DemoWind
  Ran across two phases (DemoWind and DemoWind 2), showing sustained Flemish commitment to offshore wind cost reduction — a strategic priority given Belgium's North Sea assets.
• PhotonicSensing
  Broadest application scope of any IWT project, spanning food safety, health, environmental monitoring, civil security, and cultural heritage through photonic sensing technologies.