The application period for the SME Fund 2025 has opened today and will run until 5 December 2025. This Fund is a grant scheme designed to provide financial support to EU SMEs for protecting their Intellectual Property Rights. The initiative is led by the European Commission and implemented by the EUIPO.

The SME Fund 2025 covers a range of IPRs, including trade marks, designs, patents, plant varieties, and the IP Scan service. All SMEs established in the EU are eligible to apply for a grant. Owners, authorised employees or external representatives can apply.

For detailed information on requirements and how to apply, please consult here. You can also find helpful FAQs here.

The EUIPO is organising a webinar 'New edition 2025 SME Fund. Boost your business with EU Funding!' (18 February 2025, 10:00 CET), providing detailed insights and guidance on maximising the benefits of the SME Fund 2025. You can register here for the webinar.

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In line with the European Commission and EUIPO's focus on SMEs, ECTA established the ECTA SME Task Force years ago. This task force helps ECTA actively participate in EU discussions and activities related to SMEs. ECTA's goal is to promote greater and more effective use of IP by SMEs, while highlighting the important role of IP practitioners in this process.