From 10 January 2022, the EU is opening a new programme for co-financing of IP right applications, under the SME FundFor 2022, the programme offers a bigger subsidy, providing a 75% discount on application fees for trademarks and designs. In addition, discounts for patent application fees are now also available. The maximum co-financing is 2250 EUR, in the form of: Voucher 1 - 75% discount on official fees for trademark and design applications, and/or 90% of the fees for the IP Scan diagnostic service (worth EUR 500). - up to 1500 EUR.  Voucher 2 - 50% discount on official fees for national patent applications - up to 750 EUR.    How to benefit?

1. You must be an SME under the EU criteria (fewer than 250 staff and either 50m EUR or less turnover or a balance sheet of 43m EUR or less).
2. Apply for the co-financing at any point during the program period - from 10 January 2022 to 16 December 2022.
3. Each SME can apply once a year for Voucher 1 and/or Voucher 2.
4. Vouchers are valid for 4 months from the date of issue and can be extended by another two months.

Practical considerations

1. Co-financing gives you an opportunity to secure your IP rights with considerable savings. For example, the savings from one EU trademark are at least 637 EUR.
2. Financing approval can take some time - apply early to get the approval as early as possible.
3. While waiting for the approval, you can carry out preparatory actions such as а trademark search.
4. Consult an IP expert before filing your applications, to be certain that your rights will be properly protected and provide you with the appropriate level of protection.

Contact "Dr. Emil Benatov & Partners" for expert advice in the field of intellectual property.