With Helios support (convention of 5 August 2025), the Fondation pour les Générations Futures finances the emergence of concrete low-carbon solutions carried by young talents across Belgium, through two complementary calls.

Startups call. Subordinated loans of 50,000 euros to early-stage Belgian startups with low-carbon technology, run in synergy with the existing SE’nSE programme and selected by an independent jury. Repayments (on average after 3 to 4 years) are recycled to support the next startups.

Prototypes call. Grants to student entrepreneurs at Belgian universities and hautes écoles to move a concept to a working prototype, selected by two independent juries. Setup in 2025 included outreach to 70 contacts across 35 incubators and 200 lecturers.

First-edition winners. Two startups: W’Ice (Ghent, arboriculture), a 100% bio sprayable biostimulant antifreeze targeting 15% of an eight-country market (1.1 Mt CO2e avoided per year, of which 6,000 tonnes in Belgium); and Bloom Biotech (Antwerp, textiles), a bioprinted, recyclable plant leather from microalgae with 99% lower emissions than animal leather, targeting 5% of the market (100,000 tonnes per year in Belgium, 5 Mt in the EU). Four prototypes: YesPartner (energy sharing), Heliops (deployable photovoltaics for humanitarian crises), Heat Sight (accessible building energy audits), and Boroud (passive cooling against post-harvest losses).