FADEC membership: costs and benefits for Belgian companies

FADEC membership costs depend on the tier your organisation joins: the Flanders Aerospace & Defence Cluster sets the fee per tier in the membership agreement instead of publishing one price list, and its Ecosystem Partner route has no cost at all. What you get in return is concrete and measurable: named introductions to primes and Tier 1 integrators, places in EU-funded consortia, export market entry, access to investors and a seat in the bodies that set the cluster's agenda. This guide explains how the tiers differ, what each one includes and how to judge whether membership pays for itself.

What does FADEC membership include?

FADEC describes itself as an operating platform rather than a networking association. Every benefit is delivered by a named body with a named owner, as listed on the membership page:

• Industrial Partnership Office: brokers Tier 1 and Tier 2 qualification, build-to-print and build-to-spec work packages with primes, and bid teaming. Members get a named account manager, curated introductions and pipeline reviews.
• Investment Council: connects members to corporate venture capital, deep-tech funds, family offices, the EIB and EIF and national strategic funds, with an investor-readiness review.
• Export Accelerator Division: market entry plans, in-market agents, offset and industrial participation, and compliance screening for third countries.
• Advisory Committees: expert panels on standards, certification, skills, security of supply and dual-use rules, meeting every six to eight weeks.
• Strategic Council: sets the 2026 to 2035 agenda and aligns cluster priorities with Flemish, Belgian, EU and NATO planning.
• Signature Annual Event: the cluster's yearly meeting point for primes, capital, government and the supply base.

Public funding is part of the offer too. The cluster builds consortia for the European Defence Fund (EDF), EDIP, SAFE, Horizon Europe and ESA calls, and starts the partner search before a call opens. That matters because the European Defence Fund only funds consortia: at least three entities from three Member States or associated countries, or two from two countries for disruptive technology calls.

How much does FADEC membership cost?

There is no public fee list. FADEC matches each organisation to one of eight tiers by role, size and contribution, and the fee for that tier is agreed in the membership agreement. Three facts are fixed and public:

1. The Ecosystem Partner tier has no cost. It is a collaboration route for organisations that already run aligned aerospace, defence, innovation, workforce, export or industrial-development initiatives. It is based on reciprocal contribution and FADEC approval, and it gives no preferential procurement access, no government influence and no access to confidential member information.
2. The membership year runs from 1 January to 31 December and renews automatically unless notice is given 60 days before the end of the year.
3. A tier can change after a membership review, for example when a start-up grows into an SME.

To get the fee for your organisation, write to membership@fadec.aero or use the contact form and say which tier you think fits. The cluster team confirms the tier and the fee before anything is signed.

Which tier fits your organisation?

The eight tiers follow the role an organisation plays in the ecosystem, not only its size.

A company with 40 employees that machines aerostructure parts fits Core. A university lab looking for EDF partners fits Knowledge. A regional development agency fits Public, and a defence-focused fund fits Capital.

What does each tier get?

The entitlements scale with the tier. The table below shows the ones that matter most for winning work; the full matrix is on the membership page.

On top of the tier, optional modules cover specific needs: an extra export market pack, coordinator support for EDF, EDIP or Horizon submissions, a six-week investor readiness sprint, a PR and media programme, a dedicated event booth, extra delegate places and an AS9100 or EN 9100 readiness review before a prime audit.

What do the other tiers get?

Investors, research organisations, public bodies and ecosystem partners join for different reasons, and their entitlements reflect that.

The company tiers also differ in voice and visibility. Launch members get one Investment Council pitch a year and Core and Advance members two, while Prime members hold a seat. Advisory Committee seats grow from one for Launch to five for Prime, and Strategic Council participation runs from none for Launch, to observer status for Core and Advance, to a seat for Prime.

What are the optional modules?

Modules let a member buy depth where it matters to its plan, for example a second export market or coordinator support for one large proposal, without moving up a whole tier.

What are the benefits worth in practice?

The cluster commits to service standards that make the value checkable:

• First qualified introduction within 60 days of onboarding, for Core members and above (Industrial Partnership Office).
• Readiness diagnostic within 21 days of submission (Investment Council).
• Market entry plan within 45 days of enrolment (Export Accelerator).

The first 90 days follow a fixed plan. In days 1 to 15 the cluster drafts your capability dossier, sets a compliance and export-control baseline and names your cluster owner. By day 45 the dossier is validated and circulated and two target lists of primes or Tier 1 companies are agreed. Days 46 to 75 bring the first brokered introductions, and day 90 ends with an activation review and a written 12-month plan with measurable targets that both sides sign.

Which export markets does FADEC cover?

The Export Accelerator works in waves, with deeper support in the first:

The number of markets a member can work on depends on the tier: one for Launch, two for Core, four for Advance and six for Prime, plus extra markets through the Export Market Pack.

What does FADEC say each benefit is designed to deliver?

The cluster publishes the effect it aims for in each of its six value streams. These are design targets for the founding phase, not results already achieved, but they give a member something to measure against:

How do you judge whether it pays for itself?

The simplest test is to write down, before you sign, what one outcome is worth to your company, such as a single qualified conversation with a prime's procurement team, one consortium place or one export market entered with shared costs, and compare it with the fee for your tier:

1. Revenue: the margin on a first order from a prime or Tier 1 customer, and the value of being a qualified supplier for the following years.
2. Funding: your share of one EDF or Horizon Europe grant, which for a development action can reach up to 100% of eligible costs with bonuses.
3. Export: what a market entry would cost you alone, against the shared-cost route.
4. Capital: the time saved in reaching investors who already invest in defence and dual-use companies.

The written twelve-month plan agreed at day 90 is the place to set these targets with the cluster, so both sides can review them at renewal.

Why does membership matter more in 2026?

Demand is rising and buyers are changing how they buy. At the Hague Summit in June 2025, NATO Allies committed to invest 5% of GDP a year by 2035, of which at least 3.5% on core defence requirements. The European Commission has committed almost €6.5 billion through the European Defence Fund since 2021, and its 2026 work programme earmarks €1 billion for collaborative research and development.

European funding is also reaching smaller companies. The EU Defence Innovation Scheme runs hackathons, technology challenges, business coaching and SME calls, with EUR 231 million available in the 2026 EDF work programme. Each of these routes rewards companies that are visible, qualified and already in a consortium when the call opens, which is the gap a cluster closes.

What is the founding cohort?

FADEC is filling a founding cohort of 60 places, first come, with an enrolment deadline of 31 December 2026. Founding members receive founding-member designation, priority seating on Advisory Committees, and are named in the cluster charter and on all public member listings. For a company deciding whether to join now or next year, that designation is the main difference.

How do you join?

1. Check the tier that matches your role and size in the table above.
2. Contact the cluster team through the contact page or membership@fadec.aero with a short description of your capabilities.
3. Confirm tier and fee with the team; members accept the FADEC competition-compliance and export-control charter.
4. Start onboarding: the 90-day plan begins with the onboarding call.

If your first goal is an EU-funded project, read how to find partners for an EDF consortium and how FADEC helps with EDF consortium building before the call.

Quick answers

How much does FADEC membership cost? FADEC does not publish a fee list. The fee depends on the tier that matches your role and size and is set out in the membership agreement; the Ecosystem Partner route has no cost. Ask membership@fadec.aero for the fee that applies to you.

Which FADEC tier fits a start-up? The Launch tier is for pre-revenue to early-revenue aerospace and defence technology companies with fewer than 25 full-time employees.

What is the FADEC founding cohort? The first 60 organisations that enrol before 31 December 2026 receive founding-member designation, priority seating on Advisory Committees and a mention in the cluster charter and on public member listings.

How long does FADEC membership run? The membership year runs from 1 January to 31 December and renews automatically unless notice is given 60 days before the end of the year.