Deadline Date: December 04, 2026
The SME Fund is a grant scheme designed to help EU-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) protect their intellectual property (IP) rights.
The objectives and priorities of the programme include supporting EU-based and Ukraine-based SMEs in benefiting from IP Scans and IP Scan enforcement services, protecting trade marks and designs through national, regional, EU, or international systems, protecting patents at national or European level, and safeguarding Community plant varieties.
The programme aims to prevent SMEs under financial pressure from reducing investments in intellectual property, foster innovation, reinforce economic resilience, and help SMEs seize new business opportunities amid challenges from post-pandemic recovery and the ongoing impacts of the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The SME Fund offers financial support through vouchers, which can be claimed by business owners, employees, or authorised external representatives and are reimbursed directly to the SME’s bank account. The total budget available for co-financing actions under this scheme is EUR 20,128,000, and the EUIPO reserves the right to adjust the distribution of funds, reuse expired vouchers, or increase the budget as needed. The funding allocated for intellectual property (IP) activities is distributed across various categories. For IP scans, a budget of up to €1,620 is provided. Trade marks and designs receive the largest allocation, totaling €14,318,000. Patent-related activities are funded at multiple levels, including €5,690,000, €1,000, €1,000, and €1,500. Plant variety rights have a budget of €120,000, with a value of €1,500. Overall, these allocations support comprehensive IP protection and management initiatives.
Eligible applicants are SMEs established in EU Member States or in territories under the effective control of the Ukrainian government at the time of application.
For more information, visit EUIPO.
