The European Union Intellectual Property Office recently launched its Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund (the "Fund") which is aimed at assisting small and medium-sized enterprises ("SMEs") access their intellectual property rights. The Fund is a €20,000,000 grant scheme supported by the European Commission.
Applications for access to the Fund shall open in five phases throughout 2021, with the first window closing on 31 January 2021. In order to be eligible to participate in the Fund, the entity in question must qualify as a small and/or medium enterprise, as set out below:
|
Company category |
Staff headcount |
Turnover |
or |
Balance sheet total |
|
|
Medium-sized |
< 250 |
≤ € 50 m |
≤ € 43 m |
||
|
Small |
< 50 |
≤ € 10 m |
≤ € 10 m |
||
|
Micro |
< 10 |
≤ € 2 m |
≤ € 2 m |
||
The Fund covers trade-mark and design applications at national, regional and EU level with successful applicants able to recover 50% reimbursement on trademark and/or design basic application fees, up to a maximum of €1,500.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.