This initiative, which began in January 2021, was made possible by the European Commission, which entrusted its management to the EUIPO in order to facilitate the protection of industrial property rights for companies at national, regional, or European level.
The SME Fund is aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises headquartered in one of the twenty-seven Member States of the EU, understanding an SME as any entity, regardless of its legal form, that carries out an economic activity.
In particular, entities that carry out craft activities or other activities on an individual or family basis, partnerships, and associations that carry out an economic activity on a regular basis shall be considered enterprises.
The aid represents a refund of up to 50% of the basic application fees for trademarks, designs, or models, with a maximum amount of €1,500 per company. They are granted on a first-come, first-served basis.
The EUIPO has published the procedure for submitting applications on its website and, to easily verify eligibility for this aid, asks:
| Is your company a small and medium-sized enterprise established and headquartered in the European Union? |
| Have you read the call for proposals before completing the application form? |
| Do you know your company’s bank details and have a bank statement (example) with the following information: company name as account holder; IBAN number (examples) and BIC/SWIFT code? |
| Do you have your company’s VAT certificate or national registration number certificate? |
| Do you know which service or services you will request (service 1, service 2, or both), as described in the call for proposals? |
| Do you understand that you cannot apply for these services if you have already received national or EU funding for the same services or part thereof? |
If the application is successful, a grant decision signed by the EUIPO is received which, once notified, opens a 30-day period to apply for and pay for the trademark at any national or European office.
Finally, once the requested service or services have been paid for, the reimbursement request must be submitted using the link available in the grant decision, and payments will be made within one month, subject to approval of the information and documentation submitted.
If you have any doubts about whether you meet the requirements, contact us and we will advise you in every way possible.
The final deadline to apply for these grants ends on October 31—do not miss this opportunity!
