Guide
AI funding for SMEs in Wallonia and Brussels: what is open in October 2026?
Updated on
On 13 October 2026, most of the regional schemes an SME could apply to for an AI project are closed or suspended. In Wallonia, the Start IA and Tremplin IA calls are closed and the "maturité numérique" voucher is suspended. In Brussels, the Consultance and Formation grants and the Innoviris programmes are suspended. Among the grants, subsidies and vouchers we reviewed, what remains open is the "cybersécurité" voucher, the chèque-formation and the Brussels Prime Digitalisation, none of which targets AI as such.
Information gathered from the official websites on 13 October 2026. The status of these schemes changes often: check the official page before making any decision.
Why a dated guide and not a list of grants?
Because a list of grants with no date on it soon goes out of date. A call opens, closes, a voucher gets suspended, and the page that described it keeps doing the rounds.
When an SME is weighing up an AI project, whether an audit, a proof of concept or a custom agent, the question of public support comes up quickly. It deserves a precise answer. We consulted the official pages on the same day, and we write down what they said, including when the answer is “closed”.
This guide covers the grants, subsidies and vouchers we reviewed, and contains only what appears on their official pages. Each scheme is followed by a link to its source. We keep the official names of the schemes so you can find them. If a figure matters to you, that is where to read it again, not here.
Which schemes exist in Wallonia, and which are open?
| Scheme | What it funds | Rate and cap | Status on 13 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start IA | An AI audit and a roadmap, then an optional demonstrator | 50%; grant of at most €5,000 for the audit and its option | Closed. Call open from 10 June to 30 September 2026, no new call announced |
| Tremplin IA | The provider’s fees | Up to 50%; capped at €20,000 | Closed since 17 July 2026, no new call announced |
| “Maturité numérique” voucher | Not applicable while suspended | Not applicable while suspended | Suspended since 12 July 2026, no restart date |
| “Cybersécurité” voucher | Support from an expert to secure the company’s data, not an AI project | 75% of costs excl. VAT; capped at €50,000 excl. VAT over 3 years | Open |
| Chèque-formation | Hours of training with an approved training operator | One €30 voucher per hour, for which the company pays €15 | Open |
Start IA is run by the Agence du Numérique, under the Digital Wallonia banner. It funded at 50% an AI audit and a roadmap, then an optional demonstrator, with a grant of at most €5,000 for the audit and its option. The expert had to be an approved provider, chosen from the official list or recommended by the jury. The call was open from 10 June to 30 September 2026: it is closed, and no new call is announced. Official Start IA page.
Tremplin IA, from the same Agence du Numérique, covers up to 50% of the provider’s fees, capped at €20,000. It closed on 17 July 2026 (date given on Digital Wallonia). Here too, no new call is announced. Official Tremplin IA page.
The “maturité numérique” voucher has been suspended since 12 July 2026, with no restart date. The official notice announcing the suspension points AI projects to Start IA and Tremplin IA, both closed at the date of this guide. Official notice on the suspension.
The “cybersécurité” voucher is open. It covers 75% of costs excl. VAT, capped at €50,000 excl. VAT over 3 years, and it requires an approved provider. It does not fund an AI project as such. Official page for the cybersécurité voucher.
The chèque-formation, the training voucher managed by the Forem, is open. One voucher is worth €30 per hour of training and the company pays €15 for it. The training has to be given by an approved training operator. AI is not explicitly mentioned on the page. Official chèque-formation page.
Which schemes exist in Brussels, and which are open?
| Scheme | What it funds | Rate and cap | Status on 13 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Digitalisation | Consulting assignments: digitalisation of internal processes, IT security, technical development of the website | 25% base rate, 70% at most; at most €10,000 per beneficiary per calendar year; at least €500 per assignment | Open |
| Consultance and Formation grants | Not applicable while suspended | Not applicable while suspended | Suspended since 12 August 2026 |
| “Start AI” Innovation Vouchers (Innoviris) | Not applicable while the programme is suspended | Before the suspension: 75% at most; €10,000 per year | Suspended. No new call in 2026, possible funding in 2027 |
The Prime Digitalisation, managed by Brussels Economy and Employment, is open: according to the official notice of 31 July 2026, it is one of the grants that “restent disponibles” (remain available). It funds consulting assignments on the digitalisation of internal processes, IT security and the technical development of the website. The rate is 25% as a base and 70% at most, with at most €10,000 per beneficiary per calendar year, a minimum of €500 per assignment, and 2 assignments per year.
Several conditions apply to the consultant: consulting as their main activity, specialisation, at least 2 years of consultancy, independence from the company. And the application has to be submitted no later than the day before the assignment starts: an assignment already under way is too late. AI is not named in the text. Official Prime Digitalisation page.
The Consultance and Formation grants have been suspended since 12 August 2026. Official notice on the refocusing of the grants.
Innoviris is launching no new call in 2026 and all its programmes are suspended. That includes the “Start AI” Innovation Vouchers, whose rate was 75% at most for €10,000 per year. Funding is possible in 2027, depending on available resources. Official page for the “Start AI” Innovation Vouchers.
What is left for an AI project today?
Not much.
Among the schemes reviewed here, those designed for AI, Start IA and Tremplin IA in Wallonia, the “Start AI” Innovation Vouchers in Brussels, are all closed or suspended. The schemes still open are aimed at something else:
- the “cybersécurité” voucher is about securing data, not about an AI project;
- the chèque-formation is about hours of training with an approved training operator, and AI is not explicitly mentioned;
- the Prime Digitalisation is about consulting assignments in digitalisation, and AI is not named.
In other words, none of the schemes reviewed here that remain open names AI in its text. That may change. It is the reason this guide carries a date.
Can our engagements be funded by these schemes?
Here is where we stand.
In Wallonia. We are not an approved provider with the Walloon Region: our engagements therefore cannot be funded by Start IA or by the chèques-entreprises. If using one of these schemes is a condition of your project, you need a provider that appears on the official lists, and we do not.
In Brussels. For the Prime Digitalisation, the consultant must have been practising for at least two years. That condition, like the eligibility of an AI assignment that the text does not name, has to be checked with Brussels Economy and Employment before any assignment starts. We will not tell you the grant applies to our engagements until the administration has confirmed it for your file.
In both cases. We can help you check, on the official websites, what is actually available to your company at the time of your project. The application remains yours, and the decision belongs to the administration.
How do you decide without counting on funding?
By looking at what the task costs today, before looking at what a scheme might give back.
Public funding reduces an invoice. It does not tell you whether the project is the right one. The real question is the same with or without support: which repetitive task weighs most on your teams, how long it takes, and how much of it an agent could take over. The guide Where should an SME start with AI? walks through that approach.
That is the job of our AI audit, offered from €800 excl. VAT. It records the tasks one by one, ranks them by gain and leads to a roadmap and a return-on-investment plan. Those documents are yours.
To understand what moves the budget of an agent, read How much does a custom AI agent cost?.
How can you check for yourself before committing?
Four habits are enough.
- Open the official page, not an article about it. The links in this guide lead straight there.
- Look for the status of the scheme: open, closed or suspended, and since when.
- Read the conditions that apply to the provider: approval, years of practice, independence.
- Check the timing of the application. In Brussels, the Prime Digitalisation has to be applied for no later than the day before the assignment starts.
If a doubt remains, write to the body that runs the scheme. Its answer is worth more than any guide, this one included.
Information gathered from the official websites on 13 October 2026. The status of these schemes changes often: check the official page before making any decision.