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Grants for the protection of intellectual property

Last year, the European Commission in cooperation with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), launched an SME fund The Ideas Powered For Business aiming to offer financial support for the protection of intellectual property of small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU.

The 2022 edition of the SME fund is open for grant applications until 16 December 2022; however, the grant funds are limited. Applications are reviewed and decisions are made on a first-come, first-served basis.

Activities supported by the SME fund

The SME fund grants can be used for the IP activities related to trademarks and designs (voucher 1) and for patents (voucher 2).

Size of the grant

For a national or EU trademark and/or design registration, you can apply for a 75% reimbursement of the fees. In case of a trademark or design registration outside the EU, a 50% reimbursement of the fees can be applied. The maximum grant per SME is limited to 1500 euros for activities related to trademarks and designs.

For a national patent registration, it is possible to apply for a 50% reimbursement of the patent fees. For activities related to patents, the maximum grant per SME is limited to 750 euros.

When applying for a grant from the SME fund, it is important to remember that the grant application must be filed and an affirmative grant decision must be received before starting with the supported activities, e.g. before filing for registration.

More information concerning the SME fund and the grant application process

can be found on EUIPO’s website - https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/online-services/sme-fund.

Author:
Anneli Kang
Direct: (+372) 66 76 440
Mobile: (+372) 55 45 652
ANNELI.KANG@NJORDLAW.EE


 


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