Registering intellectual property in the form of trademarks, designs or patents protects you from competitors and can be vital for the survival of your company. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular, however, the expenses incurred for registering intellectual property rights can be financially burdensome.
This often means that even applications that are of the utmost importance to the company are initially postponed. There is a wide range of funding available at national and international level, for example from the EU and the German government.
Promotion with WIPANO
The WIPANO program of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection is aimed at SMEs. Funding is available for both first-time applications for industrial property rights and subsequent applications, provided at least three years have passed since the last application.
SMEs are companies with up to 250 employees whose annual turnover does not exceed 50 million euros or whose annual balance sheet total does not exceed 43 million euros.
The funding is very comprehensive and accompanies the IP application in all its phases, from the initial consultation to the application to the actual exploitation. WIPANO is a pro rata funding scheme that can cover up to 50 percent of the eligible expenditure. In the maximum case, this is up to 16,000 euros.
The funding is divided into service packages. Funding should be approved before the start of the project if possible, as funding for an ongoing project is only possible under certain conditions.
The processing times for an application are in the region of three to four weeks, but can be shortened in urgent cases by submitting an urgent application.
Further information can be found at www.innovation-beratung-foerderung.de.
IDEAS powered for business
EU support for SMEs is administered by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). It is divided into three areas and includes, for example, a preliminary search for your planned IP rights and reimbursement of up to 75 percent of the official fees for trademark, design and patent applications, depending on the regional extension of the application (national, EU or outside the EU).
The program for the year 2025 is already partially exhausted, currently only applications for search services (IP scan services) and trademarks or designs can still be submitted. The limited funds are allocated in the order in which applications are received.
The support is issued in the form of “IP vouchers”, which must be redeemed within a certain period (initially four months) after receipt. These vouchers relate to a refund of the official fees (up to EUR 700.00 for a trademark or design application) or a consultation voucher (up to EUR 1,350.00 for an IP scan) at a designated information center of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA).
All important information on the IDEAS funding program as well as the corresponding application forms and useful information on intellectual property rights can be found on the EUIPO website.
Further information can also be found on the SME information pages of the DPMA.
Recommendation for practice
Before applying for an IP right, it is worth checking whether and, if so, which subsidies you can claim.
The WIPANO program is one of the most extensive funding programs, which also gives you far-reaching co-determination options in the selection of your legal representatives. The WIPANO program makes it possible to carry out the complete search and patent application for your invention as well as trademark applications for subsequent marketing with your patent law firm.
The EUIPO’s IDEAS program is somewhat more restrictive and gives the funded company less leeway in the choice of legal advice. However, the partial reimbursement of application fees can also be claimed in combination with the advice of a (patent) attorney.
