Significant support available to SMEs for registering trademarks, design rights, and patents

European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) continues to provide financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for protecting intellectual property rights. SMEs can claim vouchers worth up to EUR 700 of the official fees for new trademark and design applications and up to EUR 2,500 of the costs for patent applications and prior art searches.

There are no specific restrictions for receiving the support. Companies that have already received support in previous years can reapply. If you have been considering registering new trademarks, designs, or patents, expanding existing registrations, or assessing your registration needs, it is worth taking advantage of the support currently available. The amount of reimbursement varies depending on the target of the support. For example, support for trademark, design, and patent applications can be obtained as follows:

• max. EUR 700 for trademark and design applications
  • 75 % reimbursement of official application fees for national and EU trademark and designs
  • 50 % reimbursement of official basic application fees for trademark and design applications outside the EU

• max. EUR 1,000 (75% of the fees) for official fees related to national or European patent applications and novelty searches conducted by offices, max. EUR 1,500 (50 % of the legal costs) for preparation of European patent application.

• IPR pre-diagnostic service (IP Scan) EUR 1,530
  • 90 % reimbursement from the standard price (EUR 1,700 + VAT)

The Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) coordinates the IP pre-diagnostic service in Finland and the service is provided by authorized experts. Properta’s EU trademark and design attorney Sassa Svahn is one of the authorized experts providing this service.

The SME Fund aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises established within the European Union in utilizing their intellectual property rights and copyrights. The SME Fund is an initiative of the European Commission managed by the EUIPO. This year the program will run from 2 February to 4 December 2026, or as long as the fund’s support remains available.

Grant applications are filed through the EUIPO website

It is important to secure the grant decision before filing new applications or ordering the IP Scan service, as support cannot be granted retrospectively.

Further information is also available on the PRH website

Many of our clients have already successfully utilized the available support in their business operations. The support has been particularly beneficial in the early stages of business for investments related to registration and pre-diagnostic services. We are happy to answer any further questions on the subject.