Seven million euros for imec to strengthen European technological sovereignty

King Philippe signed a royal decree on October 28, 2026, granting an optional subsidy of 7,000,000 EUR to the non-profit organization Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum (IMEC), company number 0425.260.668. The text, published in the Belgian Official Gazette on November 13, 2026 (pp. 60429 to 60431, reference C − 2026/008273), bears the signature of the Minister of Defense, Theo Francken, and takes effect retroactively as of March 20, 2026.

A structural partnership inscribed in the RDII 2026 program

The decree is based on the law of May 22, 2003, regarding the organization of the budget and accounting of the Federal State (Articles 121 to 124) and the law of March 23, 2026, containing the general expenditure budget for the 2026 budget year (Article 2.16.25). The expenditure is charged to basic allocation 16.50.72.32.00.01 of Section 16 Ministry of Defense of the 2026 General Expenditure Budget.

The political framework is explicit in the recitals: the ministry’s commitment to innovation, research, and technology under the government agreement of January 31, 2025, the Defence, Industry and Research Strategy (DIRS) approved by the federal government on September 16, 2022, and the decision of the Council of Ministers of March 20, 2026, authorizing the implementation of the Defense Research, Development, Innovation and Industrialisation (RDII) 2026 program, structured around six pillars of action, including the one consisting of breaking down silos and developing a broader national knowledge base.

The government also motivates the choice of partner: IMEC is said to possess world-leading expertise in advanced chip design and miniaturization, photonics, sensors and detection technologies, as well as solutions for connectivity, artificial intelligence, and communications beyond 5G. Thanks to its unique research infrastructure and pilot lines for semiconductor technology, the non-profit organization is said to hold “a technological monopoly position” that makes it a key partner for the Belgian defense industrial and technological base (DITB) and for European strategic autonomy.

PhD students, scientific forums, and military demonstrators

Article 2 sets two strategic objectives:

• to carry out strategic breakthrough research in nanotechnologies and digital technologies in order to develop the building blocks of European strategic autonomy related to defense;
• to conduct research and development activities creating technological basic elements in these same fields for Belgian start-ups, SMEs, and companies.

The selected reference activities include at least the following:

• the supervision of doctoral students for thesis topics in nanoelectronics and digital technologies related to defense, defined in consultation with the Defense department;
• participation in national and international scientific working groups and forums;
• development and technological demonstration projects for military use.

These modalities will be specified in an agreement between the ministry and the beneficiary, which will translate strategic objectives into operational objectives and establish performance indicators. Supplements or additional activities may be added by mutual agreement during the term of the agreement.

Strict budgetary control and a precise schedule

The mechanism provides for a series of reporting obligations:

• a succinct project report submitted every quarter, describing the implementation of the reference activities;
• a detailed annual report including the progress of objectives with regard to performance indicators;
• a functional justification and a financial justification, mentioning any income or co-financing from other sources;
• the submission of the annual report and financial documents to the Royal Higher Institute of Defense (IRSD) no later than March 31, 2027;
• access, upon first request, to all relevant documents for the Minister of Defense, the competent department of the ministry, or the Inspectorate of Finance.

Payment will occur upon notification of the decree, to the beneficiary’s bank account upon presentation of a bank identity statement, with the payment and monitoring modalities settled by the agreement. For the 2026 period, the costs of preparatory activities may be taken into account starting from March 20, 2026.

The budgetary procedure was not without friction: the decree mentions a negative opinion from the Inspector of Finance issued on August 24, 2026, followed by an opinion of “conditional agreement” from the Minister of Budget on October 19, 2026.

A unique envelope for an industrial stake

With this 7 million euro envelope, Defense is buying a place in the Belgian semiconductor ecosystem rather than a closed program: the grant covers the costs of reference activities whose operational outlines remain to be negotiated in the agreement and can be expanded during execution. For the sector, the signal matters as much as the amount — the federal state explicitly designates a semiconductor research infrastructure as a sovereignty asset, in a context where the BITD and European strategic autonomy serve as budgetary justification. Ex-post control, quarterly and then annually, will determine the credibility of this type of structural partnership with the Inspectorate of Finance, which had issued an unfavorable opinion.

Source: Moniteur belge, November 13, 2026, royal decree of October 28, 2026 granting an optional subsidy to the non-profit organization Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum within the framework of a structural partnership, C − 2026/008273, pp. 60429 to 60431.