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 fund offers the following.
For IP Scan:
- 90 % reimbursement for an IP pre-diagnostic service (IP Scan) provided by an EU national IP office. The service must be requested to the national IP office of the country in which the company is based, provided that this office offers the service under the SME Fund initiative.
For trade marks and designs:
- 75 % reimbursement of EU trade mark and/or design application fees, additional class fees, and examination, registration, publication and deferment of publication fees.
- 75 % reimbursement of national or regional trade mark and/or design application fees, additional class fees, and examination, registration, publication and deferment of publication fees.
- 50 % reimbursement of trade mark and/or design basic application fees, designation fees, and subsequent designation fees outside the EU. Designation fees for EU countries are included in 2024 SME fund scheme. Handling fees charged by the office of origin are excluded.
The maximum reimbursable amount per SME is:
- EUR 1 350 for IP Scan related activities (value varies depending on the country);
- EUR 1 000 for trademark & design related activities;
You can apply from 22 January 2024 to 06 December 2024.
The SME Fund 2024 has limited funds. If the funds are exhausted, applications will be closed before the indicated date.
All SMEs established in the EU are eligible to apply for a grant. If you have already been awarded a grant for a specific type of activity from the SME Fund in previous years (2023 or even in 2022), you are still entitled to apply for a grant from the SME Fund in 2024, regardless of whether you have initiated a service or have already been reimbursed in previous years. These initiatives are independent from each other. EU based SMEs may apply each year to the SME Fund, as long as they comply with the conditions set out in the call for proposals, even if they have had applications awarded or rejected in previous calls. During the application stage, beneficiaries must declare whether they have applied for or received any other EU funding in the same financial year for the same type of activities related to intellectual property protection.
The self-employed are eligible to apply to the SME Fund. To do so, they need to provide proof of their involvement in an economic activity. Such evidence can be a certificate from BULSTAT for the registration of a self-insured person, a certificate from the National Revenue Agency for the registration of a self-insured person, etc.
