Starter grant in Ghent: what still exists in 2026

If you plan to open a shop, a café or a studio in Ghent and search for a starter grant, you will still find plenty of older pages, in English and Dutch, about the Ghent starter contract (*starterscontract*). That scheme no longer exists. On 17 December 2025 the Ghent city council ended a series of subsidies for entrepreneurs at the close of the year, and since 1 January 2026 you can no longer apply for them.

This guide explains what stopped, what still runs, what Flanders adds, and how to start well in Ghent without a grant. It is written for newcomers: founders who moved to Ghent for work, study or love and now want a business of their own. Most of the city's business information is in Dutch; where a Dutch name is the one you will meet on forms, we give it.

What stopped

The Shop-op Sunday itself stays: PuurGent, the city's retail team, organises a Sunday shopping day in the centre on the first Sunday of every month.

What still runs

Subsidy for retail initiatives

The city co-funds what traders organise together to promote their shopping area. You need at least five traders. A traders' association set up as a non-profit, or traders hit by roadworks, get 100 percent of their costs back up to the maximum; other applicants 60 percent. The amount rises with the number of participants, from 5,000 to 12,500 euros. You apply at least six weeks in advance, receive half on approval and the rest once the invoices are checked, and an applicant can file two applications a year. A traders' association with a non-profit can also claim up to 1,000 euros a year in running costs.

For a starter this is the most useful scheme left: join the traders of your street and organise an action together for your opening.

Pand zoekt ondernemer

Under this name ("building seeks entrepreneur") the city collects vacant retail units, buildings, workshops and temporary spaces in Ghent, and puts owners and entrepreneurs in touch. It is not money, but it helps you find a place, a pop-up included.

The city's business desk (OOG)

The Ondersteuningspunt Ondernemers Gent, OOG for short, remains the first point of contact for entrepreneurs in Ghent, with free advice on starting and growing, finding a location, staff, financing and subsidies from other governments. The city also runs free inspiration sessions called Business Bites, and DYZO supports self-employed people who run into financial trouble.

What Flanders still does

Flemish support is shrinking too. The SME wallet (kmo-portefeuille), which refunded part of training and advice, ends on 1 January 2027; the 2026 budget had already run out, as our news item on the end of the kmo-portefeuille explains. The flat-rate nuisance premium is gone, the closure premium during roadworks remains. What is left for digitalisation, mostly tax relief, is in digitalisation grants in Flanders.

Other cities do still pay a starter grant, sometimes up to 10,000 euros. They only apply in that city and almost always only to a shop or restaurant in the centre. The overview is in our guide to starter grants in Flanders; the nearest example is the starter grant in Sint-Niklaas.

Starting in Ghent without a grant

Without a starter contract, the job is to make your first months as cheap and as visible as possible. Four things that cost little and return a lot:

How to set up a profile: create a Google Business Profile. What a site costs and what goes in it: web design in Ghent and web design for freelancers. Working alone and want to start with a single page? Read build your website yourself or hire someone.

Ghent is a university city, so not all your customers will read Dutch. A profile and a site in Dutch and English cost little extra and reach both groups.

Where to go in Ghent

Peppol from your first invoice

Since 1 January 2026 every Belgian VAT-registered business must send and receive its invoices to other businesses electronically via Peppol; paper or a PDF by email is no longer enough. Suppliers to the City of Ghent send an e-invoice via Peppol too. A starter should sort this out before the first invoice: read Peppol registration and e-invoicing in Belgium. Choose the software together with your accountant.

Shop-op Sunday as your launch moment

PuurGent runs a Shop-op Sunday on the first Sunday of every month, a Sunday shopping day in the city. For a new business in the centre that is a natural moment to open or run a first promotion: more people walk the streets, and your neighbours are open too. Put your opening hours for those Sundays in your profile, and say in your posts that you will be there. Together with the traders of your street you can also use such a Sunday for a joint action, which the subsidy for retail initiatives partly pays for.

Mistakes we see Ghent starters make

• Counting on a grant that no longer existsOld articles and forums still mention the starter contract. Build your financial plan without it.
• Choosing a unit without knowing the areaPand zoekt ondernemer and the OOG help you see which streets suit your business.
• Opening without a profilePeople who look for you on opening day and find nothing do not come. Put your profile online before you open, with your opening date in the description.
• Starting aloneAn action with the traders of your street is partly paid for by the city. An action on your own is not.
• Only speaking one language onlineA Dutch-only or English-only profile leaves half of Ghent out.