The SME Fund provides financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in the European Union (EU) for the protection of their intellectual property (IP) rights. SMEs can apply for vouchers that will provide access to a partial refund of the fees paid.
The Slovenian Intellectual Property Office will not participate in the IP Scan service in 2023 as it provides a similar service (PRVA i - prva informacija o intelektualni lastnini) free of charge to innovative SMEs based in Slovenia.
The SME Fund is a reimbursement program that issues vouchers that can be used to cover the fees for the selected activities partly. There are several types of vouchers available depending on the activity you want to implement, with two new ones:
- Patents (voucher 3)
To use for eligible patent fees up to 1,500€.
- Community Plant Variety (voucher 4)
You can apply for a 50% reimbursement of the online application fee. Paper applications are not eligible for reimbursement under the SME Fund. The application for this type of protection should be through the Community Plan Variety Office (CPVO). Up to 225€.
Interested SMEs can submit their co-funding application electronically to the EUIPO by 8 December 2023.
On the EUIPO website, you will find more information and answers to frequently asked questions.
Tags
SMEfund
Startup
