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A grant scheme designed to help EU small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) intellectual property (IP) rights.

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The Ideas Powered for business SME Fund has been introduced by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), in order to help EU small and medium size enterprises (SME) with their Intellectual Property rights.

The SME fund has been made available this year and applications are accepted as of 10 January 2022 until 16 December 2022. The EUIPO has noted that funds are limited and available on the basis of first come, first served.

The SME Fund is a great opportunity since it can offer financial support to EU SMEs and provides the opportunity to protect your Intellectual Property, such as your Trademarks.

The reimbursements will be granted in the form of vouchers. The vouchers that are provided can be used in order to cover the fees for certain activities.

  • Voucher 1: reimbursement of a maximum amount of €1.500 (which includes IP Scan fees with maximum amount of €900) on Trademarks and industrial design fees.
  • Voucher 2: reimbursement of €750 for the use of patents.

A notification will be sent to the SME within 15 working days as of the application notifying the applicant whether the relevant grant has been approved.

The vouchers are valid for a period of 4 months starting from the successful applicant receives the grant. An extension period of 2 months can be applied for during the last 30 days of the original 4-month period.

With regard to trademarks, through the fund you are eligible for:

  • 75% reimbursement of trademarks and design fees at EU level
  • 75% reimbursement of trade mark and design fees at national and regional level
  • 50% reimbursement of trademark and design fees outside the EU

The documents needed for the application of the Fund are:

  • The Company’s Bank statement which must include the company’s name as the account holder, the IBAN number with the country code and the BIC/SWIFT code.
  • The Company’s VAT certificate or national registration number certificate which has been issued by the national authority.
  • The ‘Declaration of Honour’ if the SME employs the services of a representative or the representative is acting on behalf of the SME. The document must be signed by an authorized owner or an employee of the SME.

Michael Kyprianou & Co LLC has a leading Intellectual Property practice with a team of experienced lawyers who are able to advise and assist clients in relation to both contentious and non-contentious IP matters. The content of this article is valid as at the date of its first publication. It is intended to provide as a general guide to the subject matter and does not constitute legal advice. We recommend that you seek professional advice on your specific matter before acting on any information provided. If you need any advice or further information in relation to Intellectual Property rights, please contact our Head of IP, Agis Charalambous, at agis.charalambous@kyprianou.com or at 0035722447777