For the third year, the European Commission with the support of the European Intellectual Property Office and National Patent Offices launches the SME Fund: a grant scheme to European SMEs for protecting their intellectual property rights (IPRs): trademarks, designs, and patents.
The call for applications is open from the 23rd of January to the 8th December.
The SME Fund 2023 edition offers:
- Voucher #1: IP Scan services on expert advice and guidance for SMEs IP strategy (not available for all countries);
- Voucher #2: a reimbursement for the basic application fees for trademarks and designs at the EU level, national and regional levels.
The funds are offered according to the principle of ‘first come, first served’. Go to the EUIPO webpage for details and submit your application.
During March 2023, Voucher #3 related to Patents, and Voucher #4 related to New Plant varieties will be announced.
The SME Fund 2022 edition scored a total amount of 22.479 applications coming from 27 EU countries. Spain made the most applications in 2022, with a total of 3 622 requests, followed by Poland (2.764), Italy (2.429), and France (1.855). The most requested grant was related to reimbursement of IP Scan services, and reimbursement of taxes for registration fees of trademarks and designs (Voucher #1 in the 2022 edition).