There is an important demand for clinical trials to fill existing evidence gaps and to advance healthcare. Alongside international and EU funded initiatives (such as those mapped through the ACT EU initiative), the possibilities for non-commercial sponsor to obtain funding for clinical trials in Belgium have expanded over the past years.
Broadly, clinical trials can be categorized into two types:
- Comparative effectiveness trials that evaluate existing interventions or explore new uses for approved treatments.
- Development trials aimed at creating new interventions, often led by industry stakeholders.
The following table provides a non-exhaustive overview of the potential funding programs and the types of research they support.
COMPARATIVE-EFFECTIVENESS TRIALS | |||
Funder | Research and stage | Eligible organisations | Main features |
KCE | Advanced research limited to clinical trials No proof of concept | Belgian non-profit public research institutions cooperating with sites across the 3 regions | Interventions: focus on health Goal: fund non-commercial, pragmatic clinical trials comparing existing interventions or exploring new indications for off patent drugs with a positive impact on patients and health care system in Belgium |
Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) | Advanced research including but not limited to clinical trials No proof of concept | Flemish research institutions | Interventions: focus on health Goal: fund non-commercial research on the implementation of (new) therapies, diagnostic techniques, and preventive methods with a positive impact on patients and health care system in Flanders |
Last update: 16 September 2025. More specific conditions apply to the funding schemes summarized below. Please contact the relevant funder to obtain the most up-to-date information.
DEVELOPMENT TRIALS | |||
Funder | Research and stage | Eligible organisations | Main features |
| Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) SBO programme | Strategic basic research including but not limited to clinical trials | Flemish public research institutions in cooperation with economic or societal actors | Interventions: no specific focus on health Goal: fund innovative research which has the potential of subsequent economic or societal applications (e.g. new generation of products, processes and/or services). |
BioWin | All R&D projects including but not limited to clinical trials | Companies active in Wallonia (min. 2) with an obligation to cooperate with public research units in the Walloon region (min. 2). | Interventions: focus on health-tech & biopharma Goal: co-fund (with industry partners) collaborative R&D projects with economic and societal impact within Wallonia. |
Biovia (formerly, Medvia & flander.bio) | All R&D projects including but not limited to clinical trials | Companies active in Flanders with an obligation to cooperate with public research institutions | Interventions: focus on health biotech, medtech, and digital technologies Goal: co-fund (with industry partners) collaborative R&D with economic and societal impact within Flanders |
Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen (VLAIO) Subsidies & financiering programmes (Onderzoek & Ontwikkeling) | All R&D projects including but not limited to clinical trials | Companies active in Flanders (sometimes in cooperation with a public research institution) | Interventions: no specific focus on health Goal: fund industry-driven projects contributing to regional business development and innovation, including health and research in Flanders |
Service Public de Wallonie Calls of the Département de la Recherche et du Développement technologique | All R&D projects including but not limited clinical trials | Companies active in the Walloon region (sometimes in cooperation with a public research institution) | Interventions: no specific focus on health Goal: fund industry-driven projects contributing to regional business development and innovation, including health and research in Wallonia |
| Innoviris Funding programmes for innovation | All R&D projects including but not limited to clinical trial | Academic or research institutions and/or industry active in Brussels | Interventions: no specific focus on health Goals: fund industry-and academically driven projects contributing to regional innovation, including health and research in Brussels |
Last update: 16 September 2025. More specific conditions apply to the funding schemes summarized below. Please contact the relevant funder to obtain the most up-to-date information.
In addition, several Belgian charities support both comparative effectiveness and development trials, especially where commercial interest is lacking. Below a non-exhaustive list of charities you can explore
- Anticancer Fund – https://www.anticancerfund.org/en
- Kom op tegen Kanker – https://www.komoptegenkanker.be/
- Kick Cancer – https://www.kickcancer.org/
- EORTC – https://www.eortc.org/
- King Baudouin Foundation – https://www.kbs-frb.be/en
