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The short answer
No, right now you cannot apply for a starter grant in Leuven: the city says the grant is temporarily closed. The scheme itself is still on its site: up to 2,500 euros, 70 percent of your costs for advice, training or investments such as a website, for people self-employed as their main occupation for less than two years. Other support does run in the meantime, such as the Leuven Entrepreneurs Fund and the premium for projects that strengthen the retail core.
Leuven's starter grant (*starterspremie*) was one of the few in Flanders that did not only support shops in the centre but any starter, and that explicitly paid for marketing, communication and a website too. That is why so many people starting a business in Leuven look for it, newcomers from abroad among them. Today the city's page opens with a notice: you temporarily cannot apply.
This guide explains what the grant covered, so you know what to expect if it returns, what does run in Leuven in the meantime, and what you can prepare now. The city's grant pages are in Dutch; for general questions as a newcomer, Leuven runs an International House with information in English.
What the grant covered
| Part | Rule |
|---|---|
| Amount | up to 2,500 euros |
| Who | self-employed as main occupation for less than two years, with a registered office or branch in Leuven |
| Form | sole proprietorship or company, with at least 50 percent of the shares; for a company the grant goes to the company |
| Not for | liberal professions |
| For what | advice (accountant, tax adviser, lawyer, marketing or communication expert), training in entrepreneurship, investments you need such as a website or a computer |
| How much | 70 percent of the costs; you pay the other 30 percent yourself |
| Investments | at most 45 percent of the grant, always together with advice or training |
| Not | rent |
| Obligation | two years of uninterrupted activity in Leuven |
You could combine the grant with other support, such as that of Horeca Leuven, Liefst Leuven, UNIZO, Voka, the province of Flemish Brabant or the SME wallet; those counted towards your own 30 percent share.
What that meant for a website
Say you spent 2,000 euros on marketing advice and 1,500 euros on a first site. The investment part could be at most 45 percent of the grant. With a grant of 2,450 euros (70 percent of 3,500), at most about 1,100 euros could go to the site, the rest to the advice. If you only wanted a website, you got little for it; if you combined advice and a build, you got the most out of the grant.
What does run in Leuven
The city lists this support on its page for entrepreneurs:
- Leuven Entrepreneurs Fund (LEF)a grant for an innovative solution that benefits the city and its residents.
- Leuven Climate Fund for entrepreneursfunding for a product or service that contributes to a climate-neutral or climate-proof Leuven.
- Premium for retail core projectssupport for traders and traders' associations that set up a project, action or event together.
- LE(J)ONa guide to what is on offer for young entrepreneurs, for students aged 18 to 25.
- Advice on circular businessand the Leuven Cares Label for cafés.
The city also shares figures on footfall: when the city is busy, which moments are quieter and what events do to visitor numbers. For a starter with a shop that is worth its weight in gold when planning your opening hours and campaigns.
What Flanders still does
Flanders pays no starter grant, and the SME wallet (kmo-portefeuille), which you could combine with the Leuven grant, ends on 1 January 2027; the 2026 budget had already run out, as our news item on the end of the kmo-portefeuille explains. What remains for digitalisation is in digitalisation grants in Flanders. Other cities do still pay a starter grant, mostly only to shops and hospitality in their centre; the register is in our guide to starter grants in Flanders.
What runs and what is on hold
What runs in Leuven and what is on hold
Starter grantself-employed for under 2 years
Paused2,50070 percent of advice, training or investments such as a website; you temporarily cannot apply.Premium for retail core projectstraders and associations together
For a joint project, action or event.Leuven Entrepreneurs Fundan innovative solution for the city
A grant for a solution that helps the city and its residents.Leuven Climate Fundclimate-neutral or climate-proof
Funding for a product or service that contributes to a climate-neutral Leuven.LE(J)ONstudents aged 18 to 25
A guide to what is on offer for young entrepreneurs.
What to prepare now
If the grant returns, it will probably again apply to people who have been self-employed for less than two years. If you start now, you can prepare without losing anything:
- Ask for quotes per part. Advice, training and investment separately, with amounts excluding and including VAT. That way you can file them later.
- Keep your invoices and proof of payment, but bear in mind that a grant usually only covers costs after the application or agreement. Do not count on it applying retroactively.
- Combine advice with a build. Under the old rules, combining advice and investment got the most out of the grant.
- Check the city's page before you sign, and ask the city's business department if in doubt.
Starting in Leuven without a grant
Leuven has about 60,000 students, 42,000 of whom live in student rooms in the city, next to just over 105,000 residents. Starting a business here means two audiences, each with its own calendar. What pays off most in your first months:
| What | Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A Google Business Profile | free | students choose a place on Google Maps |
| A first site, in Dutch and English | from 1,500 euros at VBS | one in five KU Leuven students is international |
| An opening at the start of the academic year or in February | your own time | that is when new students look for their regular spots |
| A project with your street | partly paid by the premium for retail core projects | more people and a network |
How marketing works in Leuven, for a business aimed at students and for a knowledge company, is on our page about a marketing agency in Leuven. What a site costs is in our website cost calculator, in web design in Leuven and in web design for freelancers. How to set up your profile: create a Google Business Profile; whether to build it yourself or hire someone: build your website yourself or hire.
Elsewhere in Flemish Brabant and Antwerp
If you do not have to start in Leuven, nearby cities have other rules. Halle gives starters in its core shopping area a starter subsidy of 5,000 euros and a rent subsidy of 10,000 euros, after assessment by a jury; liberal professions, offices and hairdressers are excluded. Mechelen has no specific subsidies for starters and refers you to the organisations that coach them, such as VLAIO, Starterslabo and UNIZO. The full overview is in the register of starter grants in Flanders.
| City | Support for starters | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Leuven | starter grant up to 2,500 euros, paused | starters self-employed for less than two years, no liberal professions |
| Halle | 5,000 euros plus 10,000 euros rent subsidy | retail or hospitality in the core shopping area |
| Mechelen | none | referral to coaching |
Footfall in Leuven as a planning aid
The city shares figures on when Leuven is busy and what events do to visitor numbers. For a starter with a shop, those figures are more useful than a grant: they tell you when to be open, when you need staff and when an advert reaches the most people nearby.
Who helps you today
Without a grant, the city remains your signpost: its business department, the premium for retail core projects and LE(J)ON for young starters. For your business plan and registration you can turn to a licensed business counter (ondernemingsloket) and to organisations such as UNIZO and Starterslabo.
Mistakes we see starters make
- Waiting for the grant before startingNobody knows when it returns. Start when your plan holds, not when the grant is there.
- A site as your only investmentUnder the old rules you could not file a website on its own; advice or training had to be part of it.
- Targeting students in JulyThe city empties in summer; your budget works better in September and February.
- Only one languageIn Leuven a large share of your potential customers prefers English, and the locals prefer Dutch. Serve both.
Check the city's page before you sign: the status can change.
Questions about the grant in Leuven
Can I still apply for a starter grant in Leuven in 2026?
No. The city says on its page that you temporarily cannot apply. It does not say when the grant will return.
How much was Leuven's starter grant?
Up to 2,500 euros, 70 percent of your costs for advice, training or investments such as a website, with investments up to 45 percent of the grant.
Did liberal professions get the grant?
No. Liberal professions could not apply for Leuven's starter grant.
What support does exist in Leuven now?
Among others the Leuven Entrepreneurs Fund, the Leuven Climate Fund for entrepreneurs, the premium for retail core projects and LE(J)ON for young entrepreneurs aged 18 to 25.