The SME Fund is renewed!
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For the fourth year running, the European Commission is extending its “ideas powered for business” grant fund for SMEs from January 22, 2024 to December 6, 2024.
The objective of this grant is to support European SMEs in the protection of their innovations by helping them to protect their inventions, trademarks and products through industrial property titles by taking charge of part of the official fees.
The Fund is open to SMEs established in the European Union. The criteria to enter this category have been provided by the Commission (European Commission website).
If you have already benefited from this grant in 2023 (or previous years), it is possible to apply again in 2024.
For a French company, for example, several vouchers are available:
- The “Trademarks, Designs and Models” voucher, which will cover, up to a maximum of €1,000, part of the fees for filing and registering trademarks and/or designs at European or national level (75% of the fees) and outside the EU (50% of the fees).
- The “Patents” voucher, to be used for fees relating to eligible patents and prior art search services, up to a maximum of €3,500.
- The “Community Plant Variety Rights” voucher, for eligible fees relating to plant varieties, up to a maximum of €1,500.
- And finally, an “IP Scan Enforcement” voucher, which covers the cost of consulting an industrial property expert in the event of a conflict or risk of conflict relating to industrial property. The maximum amount awarded varies according to the SME’s country of establishment.
The grant application can be made directly by your company or through an authorized representative on the dedicated platform (accessible here).
The procedure has not changed since the 2023 edition:
1/ When submitting the form, it will be necessary to provide: a VAT certificate (or the Kbis) of the SME, the RIB in the name of the SME and the power of your representative if applicable.
2/ You will receive a grant decision within 15 working days.
3/ Filing of the industrial property title* within 2 months (with the possibility of an extension of 2 additional months – i.e. 4 months maximum) directly or through your representative.
(*) Note that the grant must be obtained before the title is filed.
4/ After the filing of the title, you have 6 months to request your reimbursement.
An SME that already owns industrial property rights is perfectly entitled to make a request. These subventions can be cumulated with the INPI’s financial support under the “Pass PI”.
It is also possible to apply for a grant for several titles within the limits of established amounts.
Finally, it should be noted that funds are limited and available on a “first come, first served” basis.
So don’t delay your filings any longer and protect your innovations, 
helps you in these steps for your IP projects!
− Anaïs GREFFOZ, Intellectual Property Lawyer at Mark & Law
For more information on this grant and its modalities, see the corresponding article on the EUIPO website, accessible by clicking here.
