February 07, 2023
European Union SME Fund "Ideas Powered for Business 2023" for Patents, Trademarks and Designs
The European Commission and the EUIPO have renewed the SME FUND grant program for 2023 to support European SMEs in the field of industrial property. These grants are designed to support intellectual property (IP) rights through the creation of a fund to incentivize the filing of patents, trademarks, and designs by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in the European Union.
More clearly and in the introduction, it is important to clarify that this fund allows for a refund of part of the filing fees for various patents, and therefore for rather limited amounts. Unlike other calls for proposals, this fund does not provide loans or non-repayable investments for the engineering of the products covered by the various patents.
This SME fund has €27.1 million available: €25 million for trademarks and designs, €2 million for patents, and €100,000 for plant varieties. This fund will be active until December 8, 2023, until exhausted.
This grant program offers financial support to SMEs based in the European Union. The application can be filed by an owner, employee, or authorized representative of an EU SME acting on its behalf. If you are interested in filing a trademark or design application, our firm can directly prepare the grant application on your behalf. Grants are always transferred directly to the SMEs.
More specifically, this SME fund consists of a reimbursement program that issues vouchers that can be used in part to cover fees for selected activities.
For trademark and design filings, you can now apply for Voucher 2, which has a maximum reimbursement amount of €1,000. SMEs that meet the requirements can request:
- a 75% refund of the fees paid for trademark and/or design applications, additional class fees, and fees for examination, registration, publication, and deferral of publication at the national (Italy) and/or European Union level;
- a 50% refund of the basic fees for trademark and/or design applications, designation fees, and subsequent designation fees outside the EU. Designation fees for EU countries are excluded, as are any processing fees charged by the office of origin.
National trademarks and designs may be registered with any of the EU's national intellectual property offices (which offer national protection) or with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Outside the EU, trademarks and designs may be registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The process for obtaining the incentive is very simple and involves the following steps:
- The SME must register or log in to the SME Fund account and submit an application form.
- Once the application is approved, the SME will receive notification of the grant and vouchers. It can then request the IP activities it desires. Our firm remains available for trademark and design filing. Vouchers are valid for two months from the date of receipt of the grant and, if necessary, can be extended for an additional two months during the last 30 days of the initial two-month period. During this period, it is possible to request and pay for the IP activities and then request reimbursement by activating the vouchers, and then file the patent (trademark or design).
- To obtain reimbursement for the requested IP activities, the SME must submit a reimbursement request after paying for the activities using the form available in the SME Fund account.
After receiving the grant, paying for at least one of the selected activities, and submitting the reimbursement form (attaching the required proof of payment), the vouchers will be activated. Once activated, you will have a six-month implementation period to complete the activities covered by the voucher.
Voucher 3, which will cover funding for National and European Patents, will also be launched in March 2023.
You can find all the information you need to participate in this service at the following link: https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/it/online-services/sme-fund.
Our office is at your complete disposal for any further information you may need.
Luca Gallo
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