The Ideas Powered for business SME Fund is a grant scheme designed to help EU-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) protect their intellectual property (IP) rights. The SME Fund is a European Commission initiative implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and will run from 22 January 2024 to 6 December 2024.
Who can benefit
The SME Fund offers financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) established in the European Union. The application can be submitted by a business owner, employee or an authorised external representative acting on their behalf. Grants are awarded in the form of vouchers that the beneficiary can use to claim a reimbursement. Reimbursement is always transferred directly to the SME’s bank account.
The grants and services available
The SME Fund offers 4 different vouchers that can be used to claim reimbursement for various IP-related activities. These include applications for trade marks, designs, patents, and plant varieties, and IP Scan services. You could save as much as 75% on IP right applications and 90% on an IP Scan, depending on your country or region.