FAQs targeted calls

Yes.

You have 2 business days from the notification to complete the application. Send additional info to opencall@vlaanderen-circulair.be indicating the project number.  Only complete applications are then eligible for a content-based evaluation based on the evaluation criteria, and therefore continue to the jury.

Yes, provided it is between the date of project approval (ministerial decision) and 31 December 2025.

The applications are evaluated and supplemented during the month following the submission deadline, ministerial decision (and thus final approval) follows at the end of the year.

Throughout the project, parties submitting a project must be willing to share their expertise with Circular Flanders/OVAM.

The results and impact are closely monitored, and lessons learned, measurements, good practices, obstacles, etc., are followed up and documented.

Circular Flanders/OVAM assigns a project supervisor, who is always informed and updated. Halfway through the project, a content report must be sent (according to the reporting template) to opencall@vlaanderen-circulair.be and in copy to the project supervisor.  When checked and approved, a second installment may be paid out.

Yes, changes in the course of the project that are a content-related or financial change to the approved project proposal must be requested and justified to Team Circular Flanders, via opencall@vlaanderen.circulair.be.

No, the payment is made in 3 instalments, at the start of the project (40%), halfway through the project after an interim content-related report (40%) and the balance (20%) after approval of the project's final content-related and financial report. If the project ends sooner than the anticipated end date, the final report may be brought forward so that the balance can be paid out sooner.

For this, use our communication sheet generator or the report form for the call.

The communication sheet, including final report and financial dossier, must be submitted to Team Circular Flanders at the latest 2 months after the end of the project (end date + 2 months).

The same documents as for the final report must be submitted to Team Circular Flanders, by mail to opencall@vlaanderen-circulair.be indicating the project number.

For this, use the mandatory templates and the communication sheet generator. You can find these through the guide "help, I receive a grant, now what?"

The aim of this targeted call is of course to share knowledge. However, the party submitting the project decides what can be publicly disclosed. These must therefore not be trade secrets and disseminating them must in no way impair the competitive advantage of the submitting parties. If Circular Flanders wishes to communicate more detailed or other information regrding the project, this will be by mutual agreement with the parties submitting the project.

Yes, as long as the impact/relevance of the project is focused on the Flemish Region, in other words the core of the activities and/or target group is in Flanders. If there aren't any Flemish partners, pay special attention to this in project proposal.

Basic partners who ultimately receive funding should be known at the outset. Any client, partner in the chain or subcontractor that will subsequently be relied upon does not have to be known in advance.  But this must be mentioned in an amendment to the initial project proposal.

Anyone can participate in the call as a partner or initiator, but to also receive funds through the call, the entity must have a status, such as an EVA (agency that has been made independent), that means it can receive grants from other Flemish government entities.

For tax reasons, we strongly advise against submitting a project as a natural person. Submit your project as an incorporated undertaking (vzw, cv, bv, nv, vof, cvba, bvba, etc.).

Yes. Once the incorporation is complete, notify us via opencall@vlaanderen-circulair.be with the project number.  The grant file will then be updated.

Yes. There is a substantial difference between, firstly, a project partner who has jointly committed to the project and therefore also contributes some of their own input to the project. And secondly, a subcontractor, which a project partner relies upon to have products/services delivered. This subcontractor does not have any commitment to the submitted project proposal and therefore simply charges for their work.

Adding a new project partner is not so easy, the project application must be officially revised with a new division of tasks, commitments, and grant amounts.

However, involving new partners in the project is possible via subcontracting. As regards the choice of subcontractor, subcontracting contracts must be awarded according to the fairness principle.

Changes in the course of the project that are a content-related or financial change to the approved project proposal must be requested and justified to Team Circular Flanders, via opencall@vlaanderen-circulair.be, indicating the project number.

Not provided for, but rather that the partnership is a relevant composition to meet the challenge and has a guarantee of success to achieve innovative solutions. We recommend innovating beyond the company doors and individual comfort zone, with at least some parties from the value chain.

It is clearly an added value if you map out in your submission form who - in addition to the 'partners' - would like to get involved in specific tasks in your project.

For example, for testing out a tool, participating in a workshop, helping disseminate learning lessons. Ask these partners to write down their commitments in the context of your experiment (even if unremunerated) and attach it to the submission form. This will give the jury a more complete picture of the support and value network involved in project implementation.

On the platform "circleaid'', you will find various experts in the circular economy.

You can also contact Team Business Pathways at VLAIO.

It is recommended to put the commitments of and agreements with the various partners down in writing. This will avoid any discussion and make the expectations clear to all parties.  In the "signing the project application" document, the signatory indicates that they "undertake to perform the work, incur charges and respect financial agreements, as included in the cost and financing section, specified in the submission document."

Yes, this is allowed as long as the de minimis rule is not exceeded and the employee(s) of this organisation can actually perform the work for the stated number of man-days on the various projects.

Yes, this is allowed as long as the de minimis rule is not exceeded and the employee(s) of this organisation can actually perform the work for the stated number of man-days on the various projects.

For this we refer to the website of VLAIO: 

Frequently-asked questions de-minimis

No, we only fund expenses from the official start date of the project.

Yes, the project does have to start in the year of submission, invoices can be submitted as long as they are dated within the term of the project.

Yes. All project partners must each prepare their cost statements. A template is provided to this end. 1 integral file is submitted to us. Each project partner gets 80% of its costs subsidised. We do pay the full grant amount to the (lead) party submitting the project. To transfer this to the various project partners, they can invoice for the corresponding grant amount. They cannot charge any VAT on these amounts because they are not services provided.

For all employees of all partner organisations, time records must be kept of the number of man-days worked per work package, as stated in the plan of approach of the project application. This serves to prepare a cost statement in accordance with the guidelines.

Yes. Indirect operating costs (overhead costs such as heating, lighting, etc.) are limited to 20% of the contributed personnel costs.

Yes. In principle, grants are not tax exempt. A company pays taxes according to its result, not on the underlying elements individually. You can find more information here.

Yes. If you are still using other grant channels, such as the SME portfolio, to fund your call project, this other grant can be used to fund the 'own contribution' part. However, the grants combined must not exceed a total of €200,000 in the past 3 years (see de minimis regulation).

Under no circumstances can there be a double grant for the same project.

Yes. Investments can be recorded as project costs to the extent that they are directly relevant to this project and are not part of the normal investments that the initiator has to make in its normal business operations. The exclusive relevance of the investment to this project must be demonstrated. Only depreciation costs over the useful life of the project are recorded. For VAT-registered participants, we accept costs exclusive of VAT.

If the project partner is subject to VAT, the VAT is not a cost, nor is it subsidised in the context of the call project. Only non VAT-registered participants can record VAT as an expense.

No, VAT is not considered an own contribution since it is not an expense for the VAT-registered participant.

No Since the grant aims to encourage the start-up of circular business, this income is NOT deducted from the project costs incurred as income for the project. The grant will therefore still be 80% of the recorded and justified costs. The income from the new business is separate from this.

A standard (or average) wage cost can be used.

The (market-based) hourly rates charged by each partner may vary depending on the expertise proposed and specific competencies contributed to the project. Keep in mind that 1 of the criteria in judging the project is the price/quality ratio.

We reiterate here that wage records must be kept available for justification in case there is additional check or an audit afterwards. It must then be possible to prove that this standard wage cost is realistic for the individuals who worked on the project.

Annual wage cost means (I) the wage as indicated in box 9 of tax sheet 281.20 and (II) social security contributions. Benefits related to group insurance/additional pension, housing costs, car, etc. are not accepted as personnel expenses since they are deductible for corporate income tax purposes. Only if these benefits are taxed as benefits in kind (and indicated as such on sheet 281.20) are they acceptable as personnel expenses.

Yes, changes in the course of the project that are a content-related or financial change to the project proposal must be requested and justified to Team Circular Flanders, via opencall@ovam.be.

Pay sheets must be kept available for inspection by the project partners. For the direct operating and investment costs, invoices and justification documents must be attached to the financial file.

A mandatory template for the financial reporting is available on our website (see guidance on the call page).

The financial file, together with the final report and communication sheet, must be submitted to Team Circular Flanders by email to opencall no later than two months after the end of the project (end date + two months).@vlaanderen-circulair.be.

No official deadline has been set. Team Circular Flanders undertakes to approve the final report (if complete) within one month of submission. Payment by the MINA Fund is made in principle within 1 week after request for payment by Team Circular Flanders.

Recording personnel costs for the use of volunteers is limited to the actual volunteer remuneration paid.

No, the duration of your project can be shorter. So you can complete the project earlier.

Yes. If your original project duration is less than 24 months, you can still extend the duration of your project. Send a reasoned request for extension to opencall@vlaanderen-circulair.be stating the project number. For the duration of the extension, it is verified when payment of the balance was originally envisaged. We endeavour to pay out as much as possible within the same year as envisaged. I.e. allow for 3 months after the project end date (2 months time for the party submitting the project to report, 1 month for team Circular Flanders to approve and request payment).

If your original project duration is already 24 months, an extension will only be granted exceptionally (due to force majeure).

No These grants do not cover funding for pure product innovations. For this, we refer to the innovation toolkit of VLAIO (Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship). In the projects of this call, we look mainly at the practical application: experimentation, demonstration and dissemination.

For these and similar questions, contact the VLAIO business advisors. They can help you develop your business case and also connect you with the right knowledge and expertise partners where necessary.

You can connect with them via Team Business Pathways.

Yes, this falls within the scope.

Yes, this is within the scope insofar as it is not related to packaging. Reusable cups and jars are also considered packaging for this call.