SERVICE PUBLIC DE WALLONIE

Their core work

Service Public de Wallonie (SPW) is the regional government administration of Wallonia, Belgium's southern French-speaking region. In H2020, SPW acts primarily as a funding agency and policy coordinator, co-financing transnational research calls through ERA-NET schemes across energy, materials, manufacturing, and biotechnology. Their core contribution is aligning regional R&D funding priorities with European research agendas, bridging Walloon researchers and SMEs into cross-border innovation programs. They also run the flagship BEWARE2 researcher fellowship program, attracting international talent to Walloon universities and companies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2014–2018, SPW focused heavily on energy technology integration, smart grids, nanotechnology coordination, and aligning national/regional funding programs with EU priorities — essentially building the infrastructure for transnational R&D calls. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted toward circular economy, international cooperation beyond Europe, battery technologies, Green Deal alignment, and biodiversity-transport integration. The trend shows a move from basic ERA-NET participation toward more strategic, policy-driven themes tied to the European Green Deal and sustainable development goals.

SPW is increasingly aligning its regional funding programs with EU Green Deal priorities — circular economy, battery technologies, and sustainable raw materials — making them a valuable partner for projects needing regional co-funding commitments.

How they like to work

SPW almost exclusively participates as a partner (17 of 19 projects), with only one coordination role — the large BEWARE2 fellowship program. Their 240 unique partners across 41 countries indicate they operate as a broad network hub rather than a tight cluster of repeat collaborators. This is typical of a funding body that joins ERA-NET consortia alongside dozens of other national and regional agencies, making them easy to work with but unlikely to drive technical research agendas.

With 240 unique consortium partners across 41 countries, SPW has one of the broadest networks of any regional public body, reflecting their role in multi-country ERA-NET funding schemes. Their reach spans all of Europe plus international cooperation partners in Africa, Asia, and the Americas through programs like ERA-MIN3 and ICRAD.

What sets them apart

SPW is not a research performer — it is a regional funding authority that co-finances transnational research calls. This makes them uniquely valuable as a consortium partner when projects need regional co-funding commitments or policy-level backing in Belgium's Walloon region. For researchers or companies based in Wallonia, SPW's participation in an ERA-NET means direct access to regional funding streams that would otherwise require separate applications.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BEWARE2
  SPW's only coordinated project and by far their largest (EUR 7.17M), funding international researcher fellowships in Walloon universities and SMEs — a direct talent attraction instrument.
• M-ERA.NET3
  Their most recent materials ERA-NET, explicitly linking advanced materials and battery technologies to the Green Deal and circular economy — signals their current strategic direction.
• EN SGplusRegSys
  Focused on integrated regional smart energy systems including heating/cooling networks and local utilities — shows SPW's interest in practical, regional-scale energy solutions beyond just policy.