On 10 January 2022, the expanded EU SME Fund support program was launched. This is a project launched last year on the initiative of the European Commission and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in response to the pandemic situation and to support EU SMEs in protecting their intellectual property rights (trademarks, designs, patents). This year, the program will run until 16 December 2022, and due to limited funding, grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Compared to last year, this year the SME Fund provides wider support - amount of financial support has been increased, covering support for the patents and for the number of additional fees, as well as an extension of the geographical scope for the protection of rights (trademarks and designs also outside the EU). For example, grants cover up to 75% of fees for the protection of trademarks and industrial designs (up to 1,500 €), and up to 50% of fees for patents (up to 750 €). It is important to keep in mind that the application for grant must be submitted before the filing of an application for registration of a trademark, design or patent. Once the grant application is approved (grant decision within 15 working days), an application for registration shall be submitted and the corresponding fees must be paid, after which an application for reimbursement of costs needs to be submitted within 4 months of receiving the grant decision (payment made within 30 days).
More information on the SME Fund is available on the EUIPO website.
All these actions can be proceeded through a Trademark/Patent Attorney. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact info@parnpartners.com.
Apart from this support program, there is also a support program for the small and medium-sized Estonian enterprises offered by Enterprise Estonia at the national level (see Innovation voucher).