The Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund is a financial assistance program designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU access their intellectual property rights. This SME Fund is a European Commission initiative implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and is currently running from January 22 to December 6, 2024, or until all available funds have been used, respectively.

The program offers four different vouchers for eligible activities, which SMEs can apply for individually or in combination:

• Preliminary diagnosis of intellectual property rights (IP Scan) up to EUR 1,350 (the value varies by country) to cover the cost of IP Scan,
• Trademarks and designs at national, regional and EU level (all EU countries) 1,000 EUR to be used for eligible trademark and design fees,
• Patents 3,500 EUR to be used for eligible patent fees for the filing of national patents with a national intellectual property office of an EU Member State and/or European patents filed with the EPO,
• Community Plant Variety Rights 1,500 EUR to be used for fees of an online application for Community Plant Variety Rights.

The IP Scan examines the SME’s business model, products and/or services, and growth plans to formulate an appropriate intellectual property strategy.

The SME must first apply for the grant and, if approved, will receive vouchers that are valid for two months (can be extended for another two months). It should be noted that the SME must first make advance payments for the use of IP services. Subsequently, by submitting the reimbursement form, the vouchers will be activated, allowing the costs to be reimbursed through the program.

Please note: Funds are limited and therefore will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

In the current funding period, voucher 3 (patents) is temporarily not available for new applications as funds have been exhausted due to the high number of applications received.

For more information, please visit: https://www.euipo.europa.eu/en/discover-ip/sme-fund or https://www.euipo.europa.eu/en/discover-ip/sme-fund/how-to-apply.

We will be happy to assist you in drafting an EU trademark and/or design application or filing a patent application – also using the funding program.