The European Commission and the Intellectual Property Office of the European Union (EU) have launched this Monday the 2023 edition of the fund for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), endowed with 60 million euros in vouchers to help protect the intellectual property to SMEs established in the EU.
In particular, the vouchers offer applicants the opportunity to cover certain costs related to the assessment of their intellectual property needs through the exploration services provided by the Member States.
In addition, the voucher can be used to reimburse a number of intellectual property protection tools, including patent, trademark and design registration costs and, for the first time, the fund will also cover reimbursement for plant varieties and patents. European.
The €60 million fund for 2023 includes €5.1 million of Commission funding for patent-related services, which will allow an SME to save €1,500 per application.
With these grants, the Commission seeks to support SMEs to better manage their intellectual property portfolios, with a view to helping them accelerate their green and digital transitions, as well as supporting their general recovery from recent crises such as covid-19 and the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.