FDT Health Impact Grants (Pulse Foundation & Financière de Tubize).

Details

• URL: https://fdt-grant.be/ (also in Dutch and French)
• Organisation: Pulse Foundation (runs the programme) with Financière de Tubize (funds the grant)
• What it is: call for Belgian innovations that improve access to healthcare, at the moment they need to be tested in practice (pilot, MVP or first market test)
• Amount: up to €50,000 per project, as repayable 'pay-it-forward' support (honour loan)
• Number of winners: up to 3 projects in this edition
• How to apply: online form (about 30 minutes): application form
• Deadline: 15 November 2026 (application window 15 October – 15 November 2026)
• Contact: info@pulsefoundation.be

What are the FDT Health Impact Grants?

Pulse Foundation is a foundation that aims to strengthen entrepreneurship in Belgium. Together with Financière de Tubize, a long-term investor in life sciences and reference shareholder of UCB, it launched the FDT Health Impact Grants to bridge the gap between research-based innovation and real-world use.

The grant funds the critical moment when you first test your solution with end users and/or care partners: a pilot, an MVP or a first market test.

How does 'pay-it-forward' support work?

• You receive up to €50,000 to run your pilot.
• It is not a regular loan: you only repay once your project reaches jointly agreed milestones (e.g. revenue, EBITDA or fundraising) and you have the capacity to do so.
• Repayments are reinvested in future entrepreneurs.

What projects are they looking for?

Innovations that improve access to care, for example by:

• improving the affordability or financing of care
• removing geographical or cultural barriers, including through digital tools and health literacy
• giving patients more control over prevention, self-management and care decisions
• simplifying regulation, reimbursement and care navigation for patients and providers

Eligibility

• Legally established in Belgium, or willing to set up an entity before the first payment
• An innovation (product, service, platform or business model) addressing access to care, with a credible research or pilot evidence base; a validated proof of concept or a newly founded spin-off
• Ready to start or complete a real-world pilot within 6 to 9 months (a time-bound test with end users and/or care partners, with milestones and a basic data plan)
• A team of at least two people with relevant academic, clinical or industry expertise and the ambition to build a company
• Willing to work with partners and take on feedback
• Not active in sanctioned jurisdictions

What do you get besides funding?

• Access to the Pulse Foundation and Financière de Tubize network (investors, co-founders, experts)
• Visibility through national communication
• Tailored support
• You don't need to be in an incubator; Pulse can connect you if needed

Timeline

• 15 October – 15 November 2026: applications
• 17 December 2026: jury; you present your solution and show feasibility
• January 2027: winners announced, with funding details and agreement instructions
• 2027: pilot kick-off

Practical

• Have ready: your company and VAT number (if incorporated), a short description of your pilot and your team's CVs.
• Questions about the programme: info@pulsefoundation.be.
• Want feedback on your application first? Book a coaching session with Gentrepreneur via Startium.

Who is this relevant for?

• You are developing a healthtech, medtech or care innovation that makes care more accessible and you are ready for a first real-world test.
• You are a researcher with spin-off plans in healthcare, or your startup is research-based.
• You are looking for non-dilutive funding that you only repay if you succeed.