Note: the details of the SME Fund (application window, percentages, caps, deadlines) change from one edition to the next. The article below describes the 2024 edition as it stood when the article was published in January 2025. Before you apply, check the current edition on EUIPO's SME Fund page.
The "Ideas Powered for Business" SME Fund is a grant scheme that helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union protect their intellectual property (IP) rights. The initiative belongs to the European Commission and is implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The 2024 edition ran from 22 January to 5 December 2024.
Why protecting intellectual property matters for SMEs
Intellectual property protection prevents a company's ideas, products and services from being copied or used without authorisation. The SME Fund supported the protection of several types of asset: trademarks, industrial designs, patents and plant varieties.
Who could benefit from the fund
The fund offered financial support to SMEs established in the European Union. The application could be filed by the business owner, an employee or an authorised external representative acting on the company's behalf. Grants were awarded as vouchers, which the company then used to claim reimbursement of its intellectual property protection costs.
Which services it covered
In the 2024 edition, the fund offered four types of voucher. They could be used to claim back the cost of applications for trademarks, designs, patents and plant varieties, as well as IP scanning services (IP Scan). Savings could reach 75% of the cost of applications for intellectual property rights and 90% for an IP Scan service, depending on the country or region.
How to apply
In the 2024 edition, the process had several steps:
- Submitting the application: the application was sent from an account created on the SME Fund platform. At this stage, the company's registration certificate, a company bank statement and the signed SME declaration were required.
- Receiving the grant and the vouchers: once approved, the company received the grant and the corresponding vouchers. This stage could take up to 15 working days. The vouchers had to be activated within two months by submitting a reimbursement request (extensions were possible).
- Requesting and paying for IP services: to receive reimbursement, the company first had to pay for the services it had requested.
- Getting reimbursed: after requesting and paying for the IP services, the company filled in and sent the reimbursement form. Payment from the SME Fund arrived within a month.
- Implementation period: activating the voucher opened an "implementation period", during which the company could request other IP services eligible for reimbursement, depending on the type of voucher.
What came after the 2024 edition
When we published this article in January 2025, the 2024 edition had closed and EUIPO was preparing the 2025 SME Fund. It's worth checking the SME Fund page regularly and signing up for updates, so you know when new rounds open.
For more information and resources, see EUIPO's SME Corner.
Source: EUIPO, SME Fund
Frequently asked questions
Who could apply to the SME Fund in 2024?
In the 2024 edition, the fund was open to small and medium-sized enterprises established in the European Union. The application could be filed by the business owner, an employee or an authorised external representative acting on the company's behalf. Grants were awarded as vouchers, which were then used to claim back the cost of protecting intellectual property. Eligibility conditions may differ from one edition to the next, so check the current edition on the EUIPO website.
How much could you recover through the SME Fund?
In the 2024 edition, a company could save up to 75% of the cost of applications for intellectual property rights (trademarks, designs, patents, plant varieties) and up to 90% of the cost of an IP Scan service, depending on the country or region. The percentages and caps are set for each edition, so before you apply, check the current year's conditions on EUIPO's SME Fund page.
How long did reimbursement through the SME Fund take?
In the 2024 edition, approving the application and issuing the vouchers could take up to 15 working days. The vouchers had to be activated within two months at most, by submitting the first reimbursement request, and an extension was possible. Once you had paid for the intellectual property services and sent the reimbursement form, payment from the SME Fund arrived within a month. Timescales may be different in later editions.