FLANDERSYour fastest link to Western Europe

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Who? Where?You will be surprised to see the wide range of advantages our region has to offer you …

Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT)

FIT

Flanders Investment & Trade provides expert advice and guidance to foreign companies.

Whether your company is considering its first steps into Western Europe, we can provide valuable assistance.

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FIT

Thanks to our experienced, multilingual staff we are able to assist you with your integration into one of Europe’s most prosperous economies, both efficiently and effectively.

…free of charge

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FIT

Flanders Investment & Trade provides potential direct investors with information on:• Site selection• Overview of all benefits, grants and incentives• Introduction to decision-makers• Legal aspects of setting up locally• Identify business opportunities• Integration into local community life

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We have more than 70 regional offices worldwide to assist you, wherever you are.

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Sectorial focus approach

Sectorial focus approach

Flanders…• is a big player in a number of major industries• houses numerous world-leading multinationals &

SME’s• has achieved a sustainable growth in these industries • has acquired an excellent worldwide reputation

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Sectorial focus approach

Flanders’ seven principal industries

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Automotive

Food & Lifestyle

ICT

Life sciences

Chemicals & Plastics

Logistics

Environmental technology

Why IT?

Why IT?

• Flanders’ New Industrial Policy• Smart specializations across sectors• Transformation through innovation• Industrial jobs?• Factory of the Future• Multiplier-effect IT sector• Knowledge clusters + R&D centers

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IT in Flanders / Belgium

• ICT market: € 12 billion•Employment: 60 000 people

– 2% of Flemish employment• Information technology

– IT-hardware, services & software:– 40 000

•Development & production of ICT:– 10 000

•Telecom-operators:– 10 000

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6 domains of expertise in ICT

1. Nano-electronics, nano technologies & micro-electronics

2. Financial security solutions & smart card technology

3. Telematics, GPS, cartography & Location Based Services, Geo-ICT

4. Telecommunication & Network equipment

5. Digital audio-video products & digital printing

6. Software products

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6 domains of expertise in ICT

1. NANO IMEC

2. Sec.Sol/Smart CardVasco

3. GPSTom Tom

4. TelecomOption

5. Digital audio/video & printing

Barco

6. SoftwareLMS

Knowledge clusters + R&D centers

Flanders has…• an impressive track record when it comes to

discovery research and innovation• four Strategic Research Centers that collaborate with the

academic and business worlds• frequently been the birthplace of cutting-edge

technologies

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Knowledge clusters + R&D centers

Flanders’ 4 Strategic Research Centers…

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Knowledge clusters + R&D centers

…and one Flemish agency for Innovation by Science and Technology

www.iwt.be

Fostering innovation in Flanders

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IWT: mission

IWT , the innovation agency of the government of Flanders, Stimulates by financial support, advice and coordination, Knowledge development in companies, research centres and other organisations,

For more innovation, more new products, processes, services, ….

With economic and societal added value

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IWT: goals

1. More creative and innovative entrepreneurship

2. Innovation as a solution for socio-economic challenges

3. International collaboration in innovation

4. An efficient, effective and high quality IWT

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Financial support through IWT

1. Principle• Direct support to R&D&I projects in industry• Bottom up: no sectoral or thematic programmes: all companies which can create economic

added value in Flanders can apply2. Aim

• New products/processes/services/concepts which potentially create sustainable added value for Flanders (employment & investments)

• Risk sharing, economic return region when succesful: cost-benefit ratio (1/10)3. Characteristics

• Support as direct state aid (European competitiveness rules do apply)• Applications can be submitted continuously • IPR: with industry, commercial rights: industry• Amount of support is % of accepted costs (25% up to 60%)• Simplified SME programme: low entry level

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Financial support through IWT

R&D enterprise projects & SME-programme & SPRINT

Strategic Basic research

Networks and intermediaries

R&D organisations

Enterprises

TETRA Agriculture

Individual researchers

Innovation grant

Baekeland grant

PhDgrant

Collective Innovation Tracks

TBM

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IWT support to enterprisesSupport % limits

SME-feasiblity-study

50% max. 25.000 eur

SME-innovationproject

25% max. 250.000 euro

sprint-project 25% max. 250.000 euro

R&D-project 25% - 50% max. 3 M euro

portfolio of feasiblity studies

50% tbd

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Knowledge clusters

• Leuven– KUL– IMEC– LRD

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Knowledge clusters

• Ghent– UGent– VIB– iMinds

Other funding

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Other funding

•PMV•Business Angels Network•VC’s

Diverse offering of tax benefits & fiscal incentives

Tax benefits and fiscal incentives

Flanders offers…:• an ideal fiscal climate • a wide range of tax benefits and financial grants

Just take a look at the following interesting measures…

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Tax benefits and fiscal incentives

• The lowest effective European tax rate on revenues from patent income

What is it ?

• Deduction of 80% of the income from patents from the taxable basis, resulting in an effective tax rate of maximum 6.8% on this income

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Tax benefits and fiscal incentives

• 75% exemption from withholding taxin favour of employers who employ researchers (PhD, engineers and master degrees)

Principle : the salary withholding tax is normally retained on the remunerations paid to the researcher, but the amount of tax so retained must not be totally paid to the tax administration

The company benefits from a substantial reductionof the cost of employment of researchers

If you expand, think about Flanders!

©Toerisme Leuven34

WWW.INVESTINFLANDERS.COMThomas Castrel | Deputy Director

Inward Investment Central and Eastern EuropeFlanders Investment & Trade

Tel: +32 2 504 87 48 | Fax: +32 2 504 88 70E-mail: thomas.castrel@fitagency.be

Gaucheretstraat 90 | BE-1030 Brussels-Belgium

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