From 22 January to 6 December 2024 – applications are open for grants to protect intellectual property for small and medium-sized enterprises – under the the Small and Medium Enterprises Fund.
SME Fund, implemented at the initiative of the European Commission European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the grant scheme is designed to help EU small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) protect their intellectual property rights (IP).
The total funding for 2024 is €20 million, available throughout the year on a first-come, first-served basis. Companies can apply for one or more vouchers at the same time or as part of subsequent applications. There are 4 vouchers available:
- Voucher 1 for the costs of the IP Scan service (testing the potential of the company’s intellectual property);
- Voucher 2. for the costs of registering a trade mark and industrial design through national, regional, European and international protection systems;
- Voucher 3. for national or regional patent application costs, state-of-the-art search services and legal representation costs for drawing up and filing a European patent application;
- Voucher 4. for the costs of registering plant variety protection at European Union level – online registration and examination costs.
Further information on the conditions for applying can be found in: Guidelines for Notifying Parties.
In order to support applicants for successful implementation of grants from the Fund, the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Croatia will organize a thematic Webinar on 30 January 2024 at 10 a.m. "SME Fund 2024 - How to apply and get reimbursed". You can sign up for a webinar via the link. Participation in the webinar is free of charge.
