Grant 2024: patents, trademarks, industrial designs

Grant 2024: patents, trademarks, industrial designs – financial support for SMEs

From the end of January 2024, companies have a unique opportunity to take advantage of the EUIPO „SME Fund 2024” subsidy program, which offers financial support (as part of a refund) for the registration of trademarks, patents for inventions (European patents) and for the protection of industrial designs. Depending on the choice of the „voucher” (which will be described later), the funding amounts to up to EUR 1,000 OR up to EUR 3,500, respectively.

This is an opportunity for companies that want to secure their innovations and strengthen their market position.

There is currently no cheaper option to protect your ideas. People who want to take advantage of this opportunity are welcome to contact us via the website or e-mail: poczta@polishpatent.com

If you don’t know how to protect your idea, see:

What is it and how to protect an invention
What is it and how to protect an industrial design
What is it and how to protect a trademark
How to obtain funding for intellectual property protection?

The application process under the SME 2024 program is designed to make access to funds as easy as possible for SMEs (micro, small and medium-sized enterprises). It requires submitting an application for the so-called voucher through the EUIPO platform, and then, after the voucher is granted, entrepreneurs have a specified period of time to use it and submit an application for reimbursement of the incurred costs.

This is an opportunity to significantly reduce barriers related to the costs of intellectual property protection.

Maximum refund amounts: HOW MUCH can you get back?

Thanks to the SME 2024 program, entrepreneurs can count on significant amounts of funding that can significantly reduce the costs associated with registering trademarks, industrial designs and obtaining patents.

Maximum refund amounts can reach up to EUR 1,500 for trademarks and industrial designs and EUR 3,500 for patents for inventions, which constitutes significant financial support for some enterprises.

Please remember that the above amounts constitute PART of the costs related to: with claiming your right. Under the SME 2024 program, you can get a refund of 75% of the costs related to the registration of trademarks and industrial designs. In the case of invention patents, you can count on a refund of 75% or 50% of the costs associated with obtaining European patents.

Amount of refund for trademarks and industrial designs

In the case of funding for trademarks and industrial designs, this is:

75% of official fees incl. with registration of an EU trademark or Community industrial design (protection within the EU)
75% of official fees incl. with the registration of national marks or designs within the EU (for example, a trademark or industrial design in Poland)
50% of official fees incl. with registration of national or regional marks or designs outside the EU (for example a US trademark)

You can apply for several marks or designs or register a mark and a design under one voucher.

Amount of refund for patents for inventions

In the case of funding for European patents:

you can get a refund of 75% of your application and search fees for a European patent
you can get a refund of 50% of your legal costs (attorney = patent attorney). The refund may therefore cover half of the costs incurred to prepare the patent description! This phrase has certain requirements that our patent office meets.
Who can benefit from subsidies for trademarks, industrial designs and patents for inventions?

The subsidy is only for COMPANIES. This means that, unfortunately, natural persons cannot apply for this funding.

So, only companies that plan to register trademarks, industrial designs or obtain patents now have a great opportunity to increase competitiveness and protect key company assets in a cost-effective manner.

Definition of SMEs in the context of the SME 2024 grant

To be eligible for the scheme, a company must meet the EU definition of an SME, which means restrictions on the number of employees and annual turnover or balance sheet total. The program is tailored to the needs of smaller companies, which are often most in need of intellectual property support to compete on the market.

Enterprises are classified as micro, small or medium-sized based on the following values:

Micro-enterprise:
Number of employees: less than 10 people.
Annual turnover or balance sheet total: not more than EUR 2 million.
Small business:
Number of employees: less than 50 people.
Annual turnover or balance sheet total: not more than EUR 10 million.
Medium enterprise:
Number of employees: less than 250 people.
Annual turnover not more than EUR 50 million or balance sheet total not more than EUR 43 million.

Deadlines for applying for the SME grant 2024

To make the most of available funds, it is recommended to start the application process as soon as possible.

The program launched at the end of January 2024, but has limited funds