SME Fund 2023

The SME Fund provides financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in the European Union (EU) for the protection of their intellectual property (IP) rights. SMEs can apply for vouchers that will provide access to a partial refund of the fees paid. The fund offers the following.

For IP Scan:

• 90 % reimbursement for an IP pre-diagnostic service (IP Scan) provided by an EU national IP office. The service must be requested to the national IP office of the country in which the company is based, provided that this office offers the service under the SME Fund initiative. You can find more information on the IP Scan web page.

For trade marks and designs:

• 75 % reimbursement of EU trade mark and/or design application fees, additional class fees, and examination, registration, publication and deferment of publication fees.
• 75 % reimbursement of national or regional trade mark and/or design application fees, additional class fees, and examination, registration, publication and deferment of publication fees.
• 50 % reimbursement of trade mark and/or design basic application fees, designation fees, and subsequent designation fees outside the EU. Designation fees originating in EU countries are excluded, as are handling fees charged by the office of origin.

The maximum reimbursable amount per SME is:

• EUR 1 350 for IP Scan related activities;
• EUR 1 000 for trade mark & design related activities;

You can apply from 23 January 2023 to 08 December 2023.

The SME Fund 2023 has limited funds. If the funds are exhausted, applications will be closed before the indicated date. In the event that funds run out for a particular voucher, an informative note will be published on the SME Fund website and applications for the affected voucher will be blocked.

All SMEs established in the EU are eligible to apply for a grant. Owners, authorised employees or external representatives can apply. A representative is defined as any third party, whether a natural or legal person, who is duly authorised by the SME to represent it legally. If the company applying to the SME Fund employs the services of an external representative, a ‘declaration on honour’ (template), duly signed by both parties, must be submitted when filling in the electronic application form. All grant reimbursements are deposited directly into the bank account of the SME indicated in the application.

Your company must be a valid SME established within the EU. Please review the official EU definition of an SME to ensure that your company is eligible to apply for a grant from the SME Fund. In general, EU SMEs are categorised as shown below.

No, they cannot apply to the SME Fund unless they are engaged in an economic activity. To be entitled to apply for a grant from the SME Fund, an SME must be engaged in an economic activity, irrespective of its legal form. Therefore, it must be involved in some form of trade or activity carried out for remuneration or pecuniary interest on the market. In addition, an enterprise cannot be considered an SME if 25 % or more of the capital or voting rights are directly or indirectly controlled, jointly or individually, by one or more public bodies. Please refer to the official definition of an SME established by the European Commission for more details.

Yes, but only the SME can benefit from the grant if it is awarded.

If a company uses the services of an external representative (lawyer, consultant, IP advisor, etc.), a ‘declaration on honour’ (template), duly signed by both parties, must be submitted when filling in the SME Fund application form. This document must be signed by an authorised member of the SME (the owner, the Director General, the CEO, etc.) giving the external representative the right to act on behalf of the company that is applying to the Fund. It must also be signed by the authorised representative.

An SME can appoint a legal entity as its external representative to the SME Fund, provided that the name and signature of a natural person belonging to that entity is included in the ‘declaration on honour’.

Yes, an external representative can register and pay trade mark and design fees on behalf of an SME. This representative can also fill in the subsequent ‘request for reimbursement’ form on behalf of the SME. However, the reimbursement will be paid directly into the SME’s bank account as the beneficiary of the grant decision.

Yes. If you have already been awarded a grant for a specific type of activity from the SME Fund in previous years (2022 or even in 2021), you are still entitled to apply for a grant from the SME Fund in 2023, regardless of whether you have initiated a service or have already been reimbursed in previous years. These initiatives are independent from each other. EU based SMEs may apply each year to the SME Fund, as long as they comply with the conditions set out in the call for proposals, even if they have had applications awarded or rejected in previous calls. During the application stage, beneficiaries must declare whether they have applied for or received any other EU funding in the same financial year for the same type of activities related to intellectual property protection.

Read the following checklist carefully before applying to the SME Fund. It will help you ensure that you have gathered the necessary documents to include when filing in the electronic application form.

CHECKLIST

• The applicant company must be a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) based in an EU Member State.
• You must have read the call for proposals before completing the application form.
• If the application to the SME Fund is made by an external representative acting on behalf of the applicant company, a ‘declaration on honour’ (template), duly signed by both parties, must be submitted when filling in the SME Fund application form. This document must be signed by an authorised member of the SME (the owner, the Director General, the CEO, etc.) giving the external representative the right to act on behalf of the company.
• You must have the company’s bank details along with a bank statement issued by the bank where the following details appear: bank name and logo to identify the source of the document, company name as account holder, full IBAN number with country code and BIC/SWIFT code.
• You must have the company’s VAT/TIN certificate, issued by the competent national authority. The tax number and the company name entered in the SME Fund application form must be the same as those in the certificate.
• You cannot request a grant from the SME Fund if you have already received EU funding for the same or part of the same activity.

Note: Before starting the SME Fund application process you should already have a clear IP protection strategy defined. You should have all your IP assets’ information and designs (e.g. trade marks and logos, inventions, new technologies, original software, novel designs, unique processes, etc.) ready to be registered. If you apply to the SME Fund and the IP assets you want to register are not yet fully ready to be registered, you may lose precious time and your vouchers may expire in the meantime.

Grants are distributed in the form of vouchers that can be used for a variety of IP activities.

1. An IP Scan voucher (up to a maximum of EUR 1 350) can be used for IP pre-diagnostic services with a national IP office of an EU Member State offering the service under the SME Fund initiative. The cost of the IP Scan will vary depending on the country. For more information on the list of countries offering this service and the cost, please consult: IP Scan countries and cost).
2. A trade mark & design voucher (maximum EUR 1 000) can be used for registering trade marks and/or designs to protect them at a national, regional, EU and/or international level.

Please check the list of fees covered in the call for proposals.

You may request the reimbursement as the beneficiary of the grant, or an external representative may do so on behalf of the SME, as long as they are authorised to act on behalf of the SME. Reimbursements will always be paid directly into the SME’s bank account.

No, you must first apply for the relevant SME Fund voucher and wait for the EUIPO to respond with the result of the evaluation and with a grant decision. Only the eligible fees of those activities initiated after the grant decision has been notified to the beneficiary are eligible to be reimbursed.

No, you must wait to receive a positive grant decision and the corresponding voucher or vouchers. The result of the evaluation and the grant decision will be duly notified electronically to the email addresses entered in the SME Fund application.

Yes, the SME Fund has EUR 25 million for Voucher 1 and 2 (IP Scan, trade mark, design). Grants are available throughout 2023 on a first come, first served basis until all available funds have been used.

No, SME Fund vouchers only cover eligible fees for the application of trade marks and designs or expenses related to an IP scan service provided by the participating EU national IP offices.

It depends on the specific needs of the company. You may consider applying for an IP scan to define the best IP strategy for your company.

Firstly, you need to identify where you want to sell, distribute, operate or license your products or services. Is your business cross-border or is it limited to one region or country? Do you operate online? Bear in mind that registered intellectual property rights are territorially limited. That means that you need to register your rights in a particular territory.

You can either register your rights at national, regional or the EU level. Please note that you can also choose to register your trade mark or design in several Member States. For example, if you need to operate in two countries, you can register your rights in those two countries separately; via two different procedures.

If your product or service is going to be sold, distributed, exploited or licensed in many Member States, then you might consider seeking protection at the EU level, using the EUTM or RCD system from the EUIPO.

Moreover, if you need to designate a country outside the EU, you can use the Madrid or The Hague systems available through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

In all cases, please do not hesitate to make use of the Free IP support service (free personalised intellectual property support) and/or the IP Scan service. In addition to these two services, you may also contact the national IP office from your country for further support.

You can find detailed information on the Ideas Powered for business SME Fund in the call for proposals.

If you have any questions, you can refer to our Frequently Asked Questions or chat with the EUIPO online in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish. If you require further assistance you can contact the EUIPO Information Centre at +34 965139100, available from Monday to Friday, except on official holidays, from 8.30 to 18.30 (GMT+1).

There is a dedicated email address, information@euipo.europa.eu, that can be used to send an email enquiry to the EUIPO in any one of the EU’s official languages.

To extend a voucher expiry date, you must access your SME Fund account. In the voucher itself, an ‘Extend expiry date’ button will appear. This can only be done during the last month of the initial 2-month validity period.

IP pre-diagnostic is a key tool for developing your SME’s intellectual property strategy. Designated IP experts from national intellectual property offices analyse your SME’s business model, products, and/or services to create an IP strategy tailored to your needs.

This service can help you decide what IP rights to apply for, how to develop your company’s IP portfolio, and how to plan for the future if you already have registered IP rights.

SMEs that wish to apply for an IP pre-diagnostic service (IP Scan), must be established in an EU country where an eligible IP pre-diagnostic provider is available, as published in the call for proposals.

IP Scan does not constitute a legal service and is not a pre-filing, a novelty search or a state of the art search. For more detailed information on the IP Scan service and its benefits, please visit the IP Scan page.

Under the SME Fund, the IP Scan service is not offered in all EU Member States. To check whether this service is offered in your country, either by the national IP office or by an authorised external partner, please consult the following table.

Note that some national IP offices may offer similar IP pre-diagnostic services outside the scope of the SME Fund. Should you be interested in having an IP Scan performed, you can contact your national IP office for further information.

To check whether this activity is offered in your country and whether or not it is covered by the SME Fund, please consult the table below.

Once you receive the grant decision for an IP Scan, you can contact the national intellectual property office in your country to request the service. The national intellectual property office will assign an IP expert to work with you on the IP Scan.

The IP Scan is not offered in all EU Member States under the SME Fund. Some national intellectual property offices offer similar IP pre-diagnostic services outside the scope of the SME Fund. To check if the IP Scan is available in your country, please refer to the question ‘Who performs an IP Scan?’.

After you contact the national intellectual property office in your country to initiate the IP Scan, an IP expert will be assigned and start working closely with you.

First, you will be asked to complete a self-assessment survey. Then the IP expert will conduct interviews with you to determine the most appropriate IP business strategy for the company. The report, prepared by the IP expert, will then go through a ‘quality check’ performed by the national IP office.

A ‘proof of service delivery and payment’ document will be delivered to you by the national IP office to allow you to request the reimbursement of the fees paid from its SME Fund account.

Please note that the time required to perform an IP Scan will vary depending on each business case. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to be completed.

IP Scan covers all IP rights: patents, trade marks, designs, utility models, plant varieties, geographical indications, and non-registered/non-registrable assets such as trade secrets, copyrights, unregistered designs, company names and domain names.

You can request the reimbursement of fees for the following items.

With the trade marks and designs voucher:

• 75 % reimbursement of EU trade mark and/or design application fees, additional class fees, and examination, registration, publication and deferment of publication fees.
• 75 % reimbursement of national or regional trade mark and/or design application fees, additional class fees, and examination, registration, publication and deferment of publication fees.
• 50 % reimbursement of trade mark and/or design basic application fees, designation fees, and subsequent designation fees outside the EU. Designation fees originating in EU countries are excluded, as are handling fees charged by the office of origin.

Please check the limits and the list of fees covered in the call for proposals.

The territorial level of protection selected will depend on the SME’s business strategy and growth plans. If you are unsure of which type of voucher to apply for or where to seek for protection, an IP pre-diagnostic service (IP Scan) could help you to make the right choice.

A Free IP support service (free personalised intellectual property support) is also available for SMEs needing guidance in this regard.

No, renewals are not refundable.

Yes, but before applying for a grant under the SME Fund you must ensure that you hold a value added tax number (VAT) or a taxpayer identification number (TIN) of the associations of manufacturers, producers, suppliers of services or traders, as well as legal persons governed by public law. For further information please visit the certification and collective trade marks webpage.

There is no limit to the number of IP rights (trade marks or designs) that your company can register. However, the total amount for each type of voucher is limited to:

• EUR 1 350 to partially cover the cost of an IP Scan;
• EUR 1 000 to partially cover eligible trade mark and design fee expenses;

Please check the limits and the list of fees covered in the call for proposals.

Trade mark and design applications:

• For protection at national and/or regional level in EU countries – should be submitted at any of the national intellectual property offices of the EU (offering national protection), at the Benelux Office of Intellectual Property (offering regional protection in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg).
• For protection in the European Union – should be submitted directly to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (the EUIPO) (offering protection in all EU Member States).
• For protection outside the EU – should be performed directly at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) runs two solutions for registering trade marks and designs online.

For trade marks, you can view the Madrid System for the International Registration of Trademark’s FAQs. For designs, please consult the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs’ Q&As.

The fees subject to reimbursement are those charged for applications (including basic fees, designation fees and subsequent designation fees under the international trade mark system (the Madrid System) or the international design system (the Hague System)). Designation fees of EU countries and the handling fees charged by the office of origin are not reimbursed.

No, the SME Fund doesn’t reimburse such fees.

Designation fees are incurred when a Contracting Party is designated. They are charged by the country in which the international protection is sought.

Subsequent designation fees are used to add additional countries/regions to your existing international trade mark registration (i.e. expand its geographical scope of protection).

Yes, designation and subsequent designation fees are eligible fees that can be reimbursed as long as the countries designated are not EU Member States.

No, designations of EU countries are not included. You can file an application at a national intellectual property office of the EU, or at the EUIPO if you want your trade mark or design to be protected throughout the European Union.

As an example, imagine a wine company interested in extending the protection of its trade mark internationally to France, Italy, Argentina and Chile. In this case, only the designation fees for Argentina and Chile could be reimbursed.

No, European Union designation is not included. You must apply at the EUIPO if you want your trade mark or design to be protected in all EU Member States.

The SME Fund account is the only area where users can:

• apply for the specific type of voucher(s) you are interested in by filling out the SME Fund grant application form;
• fill out the reimbursement form to request the partial reimbursement of the fees paid;
• check the expiry date of the voucher(s);
• extend the expiry date of the voucher(s), if needed;
• check the balance of the voucher(s);
• renounce the remaining balance of the voucher(s).

It is very important that the name entered in the ‘Company name’ field of the application form is exactly the same as the company name that appears in the VAT/TIN certificate and in the bank statement. Please make sure that all the information coincides. The VAT/TIN certificate from the company must be an official document issued by the competent national authority.

You should take care to indicate the complete IBAN number from your company’s bank account, exactly as it appears in your company’s bank statement (including the country code). The bank certificate must contain the bank name and its logo to identify the source of the document.

Regarding the ‘declaration on honour’ for external representatives, it must be duly signed by both parties. This document must be signed by an authorised member of the SME (e.g. by the owner, the Director General, the CEO) as well as by the external representative that has been given the right to act on behalf of the company.

All documents should be clearly legible and should not be password protected. If you need to scan a physical document, please use a scanner and save it as a PDF file.

You can and should provide more than one email address to ensure that all communications are received. If you do not receive any emails from the SME Fund team shortly after submitting your application, please check your spam folder or contact the EUIPO Information Centre at +34 965139100, available from Monday to Friday, except on official holidays, from 8.30 to 18.30 (GMT+1). You can also send an email enquiry in any of the EU official languages to: information@euipo.europa.eu.

You must indicate the company name exactly as it appears on your SME’s VAT/TIN certificate and on your bank statement.

Please consult this document to see the correct VAT number formats for EU countries, including the country code.

For applicants considered tax exempt by their competent national authority and with an equivalent tax identification number (TIN), you will need to provide the relevant certificate issued by said authority, demonstrating the legal existence of your company. If the structure of the tax identification number is different from the VAT number structure, please perform the following when encoding the information.

• If the tax identification number has the same number of digits but is missing a country code, it must be preceded by the country code. Example: the VAT number structure is EU12345678 and the tax identification number is 12345678. Applicants should enter EU12345678.
• If the tax identification number includes the country code but does not have the same number of digits, it must be followed by the letter ‘X’ until the required number of digits has been reached. Example: the VAT number structure is EU12345678 and the tax identification number is EU123456. Applicants should enter EU123456XX.
• If the tax identification number does not include the country code and does not have the same number of digits, it must be preceded by the country code and followed by the letter ‘X’ until the required number of digits has been reached. Example: the VAT number structure is EU12345678 and the tax identification number is 123456. Applicants should enter EU123456XX.

The company’s bank certificate or bank statement must indicate the account holder (this must be the same as the company name), the bank name, the full IBAN account number (including the country code) and the BIC/SWIFT code that accepts currency in euros and SEPA bank transfers. The bank certificate must contain the bank name and its logo to identify the source of the document. A stamp from the bank and the signature of the bank’s representative are not required (see example here).

1. When you submit an SME Fund grant application, you will receive an acknowledgement email of the application to the email address(es) that you entered. This email may take up to 60 minutes to arrive.

This email should not be taken as an indication that the application has been approved, only that it was submitted. Applicants will be notified in a separate email of the results of the evaluation process as stated in the call for proposals.

2. If you have not received an email after 60 minutes, please check that you have indicated the correct email address in your profile. The EUIPO recommends providing more than one email address when you make fill in the application form.
3. Check your email’s spam/junk/unwanted folder. The EUIPO recommends adding communications from the EUIPO to your safe sender list to avoid this issue in future.
4. If, after checking all the above, you have still not received the acknowledgement email of the application, please contact information@euipo.europa.eu for assistance.

The EUIPO reviews all applications submitted. In case any further clarifications are needed for any documents or information provided in the SME Fund grant application, you will receive a notification via email and via SMS (if you have accepted the option to be notified via SMS).

If, after submitting your application, you decide NOT to continue with the process, please send an email to grants.smefund@euipo.europa.eu, attaching your application acknowledgement email and indicating: ‘I would like to withdraw my application for the SME Fund grant’. The withdrawal of applications can only be made before the EUIPO notifies the grant decision to the applicants. If you have received a positive grant decision and decide not to use it, you must go to the SME Fund account and submit the renounce for the voucher.

Simply follow the instructions indicated in the request for additional information email. Make sure that you provide the correct information as stated in the email and attach the necessary documents, if required. The EUIPO will update your application accordingly and re-evaluate it.

After reviewing your application, the EUIPO will inform you of the outcome of the evaluation, which may be any one of the following: a grant award, a request for additional information or a grant rejection. These notifications will be sent via email and SMS (if you have accepted the option to be notified via SMS). You may also receive notifications regarding the expiry of your voucher(s) via email.

Once you have received the positive grant decision from the EUIPO and the corresponding awarded vouchers, you should apply and pay for at least one activity before the voucher expires.

Vouchers are valid for 2 months from the notification of the grant decision, although the expiry date can be extended by an additional 2 months. The extension of the voucher expiry date must be performed directly through the SME Fund account and can be performed during the last month of the original 2-month validity period.

Before the voucher expires, you must request the reimbursement of the corresponding fees paid. To do this, you must fill in the ‘request for reimbursement form’ directly through the SME Fund account (attaching the required proof of payment). This will activate the voucher and launch the ‘Implementation period’. Once activated, you will have:

• For trade mark & design vouchers: a 6-month implementation period to pay for and request the reimbursement of additional fees paid (this can be subsequent fees or fees from applications of new IP rights).

• IP Scan vouchers are activated directly by the EUIPO when the corresponding national IP office notifies us that the service has been requested by the awarded company.

Applicants also have an additional period of 7 days to request further reimbursements for those fees paid before the voucher has expired but for which they have not yet requested the refund.

Yes, vouchers are valid for 2 months, although their expiry date can be extended by an additional 2 months if requested during the last month of the original 2-month period.

You must apply for at least one activity and request its reimbursement within this validity period, otherwise the voucher will expire and you will not be entitled to submit any reimbursement for the fees paid.

If a voucher is not used by the beneficiary of the grant, and it expires, the allocated budget is released, and these funds are made available for financing new SME Fund beneficiaries.

No, each type of voucher can only be granted to the same company once during the call. This is independent of the subsequent usage (or expiration) of the voucher.

An applicant to the SME Fund can only be awarded one grant decision per type of voucher per year. If your voucher has expired, because it was not activated, you are not entitled to apply for the same voucher again during the SME Fund 2023.

No, within the above time period, you may request activities and the corresponding reimbursement for the eligible fees paid at any time. Please refer to the relevant FAQs above.

The vouchers are independent and can be applied for at the same time or at different times within the scope of the 2023 SME Fund (between 23 January 2023 and 08 December 2023). Each voucher can only be requested once.

You will still be reimbursed for the fees claimed. No distinction is made between successful and unsuccessful applications with regard to the grant process. Make sure you request the reimbursement for all the eligible fees paid before the expiry of your voucher(s).

The national intellectual property office from each participating country will inform the EUIPO of the IP Scan services requested by the awarded companies. This activates the voucher for a period of 6 months. The EUIPO will send a notification confirming the activation of the voucher to the email addresses entered in the application.

Once a payment request has been submitted, the EUIPO performs its assessment which includes the following elements:

• an evaluation of the activities carried out (to check that they correspond to the activities defined in the call for proposals and set in the grant decision);
• an evaluation of the eligibility of declared fees, including checking the supporting documents.

Hence the importance of providing the correct information and supporting documents when submitting payment requests.

If the request is incomplete or needs clarification, the EUIPO will contact the beneficiary and inform them what needs to be submitted to complete the request.

Once the payment request and the accompanying documents are approved, the amount due will be paid to the beneficiary’s bank account (indicated in the SME Fund application or amended in the request for payment). The EUIPO will notify the beneficiary electronically (to the contact email addresses provided in the SME Fund account) that the payment has been made. If the payment request includes costs that are fully or partially ineligible for reimbursement, the reasons for this will be explained in the corresponding notification.

First, log in to the SME Fund account at https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/online-services/sme-fund.

Second, click on the specific voucher(s) you have been awarded and click on ‘Reimbursement form’.

Finally, fill in the form with all the IP activities carried out that you want to be reimbursed. Make sure you complete all mandatory fields and when necessary, upload supporting documents.

Once submitted, you are informed by means of an automatic email that the reimbursement request is successfully submitted to the EUIPO. The request is subject to evaluation and approval.

If you do not receive this confirmation email within an hour, please contact the following mailbox for further information: information@euipo.europa.eu.

The required information and documents are as follows.

• For a reimbursement related to an IP Scan:

• • You must fill in the date of completion of the requested IP pre-diagnosis service (IP Scan) from the national intellectual property office, and the amount paid.

• • You must also submit the ‘IP Scan report proof of payment’ provided and signed by the national intellectual property office.

• For a reimbursement related to EU trade mark and/or design registration applications:

• • You must fill in the application number, the filing date (application date), and the fees breakdown (basic, class and other fees) related to the registration. Please use the ‘Add another’ button for each registration claimed.

• • It is not necessary to upload any documents as the information is available in the EUIPO’s IP Tool.

• For a reimbursement related to national trade mark and/or design registration applications:

• • You must fill in the application number, the application date, the country where you are applying for registration, and the fees breakdown (basic, class and other fees) related to the registration.

• • You must also submit the document provided by the national intellectual property office confirming the implementation, the amount paid, and the fees breakdown (basic, class and other fees) related to the application for registration. Please use the ‘Add another’ button for each registration claimed.

• For a reimbursement related to international trade mark and/or design registration applications at the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO):

• • You must fill in the application date, the application number, the designated non-EU country or countries, and the fees (in CHF) related to the application for registration.

• • You must also submit both the receipt of international registration and the receipt of payment provided by WIPO that confirms the implementation, the amount paid, and the date of payment.

• • The fees subject to reimbursement are those registered using the systems administered by WIPO:

- the international trade mark system (Madrid System);

- the international design system (The Hague System).

No, you have to wait to receive a successful grant decision related to your specific voucher(s). If an IP activity starts before the notification of the grant decision (date on which the voucher(s) take effect), related fees will be considered ineligible and therefore not refundable.

All payments will be made to the beneficiary’s bank account as indicated in the application or as modified in the payment request.

The bank account must belong to the beneficiary, that is the SME, and not to any representative.

Should the bank account not be correct when applying for the voucher(s), the beneficiary will be duly informed in the notification of the grant decision. Therefore, the beneficiary must submit a correct bank account bank account that accepts currency in euros and SEPA bank transfers when applying for reimbursement. Otherwise, the EUIPO will not be able to complete the payment.

The time limit for the EUIPO to make payments is 30 days from the submission of the request for reimbursement.

The payment period will be running from the receipt only if fees (services in case of IP Scan) are fully paid to the issuing offices (national IP offices, EUIPO and WIPO) validating the registration process or the service provided. If payment is still needed to complete the filing, the request for payment is not considered valid and payment period is suspended until such payment is issued and confirmed by the above offices.

The EUIPO will also suspend the payment period when a request for additional information has been sent. Suspension takes effect on the date the EUIPO sends the notification. The remaining payment period resumes from the date on which the requested information or revised documents are received.

The EUIPO will notify the beneficiary by email that the payment has been made.

The payment period ends when the payment has been transferred by the EUIPO to the beneficiary’s bank account. If the payment is rejected/returned by the destination bank and the EUIPO needs to seek clarifications and/or process the payment again, this additional step is not included in the payment period.

Yes, but only if your voucher has not yet expired. During the implementation period, it is possible to request the reimbursement(s) of any IP activities implemented, up to the limit of the voucher(s) amount.

The following are the most frequently requested costs that are ineligible for reimbursement under the SME Fund.

• Costs incurred before the SME received a grant notification.
• VAT costs as stated in Article 4.5 of the grant decision (in particular those related to IP Scan services).
• Attorney (or representative) fees.
• Utility model fees.
• Renewal fees.
• Wrong voucher: costs for activities related to a voucher cannot be reimbursed under another voucher and vice-versa (i.e. an EUTM cannot be reimbursed if an IP Scan voucher has been awarded).
• Registration fees for trade marks and designs within the EU are only eligible when submitted using a national IP office, but not when using WIPO (i.e. an Italian trade mark/design cannot be reimbursed if registered using WIPO).
• International registrations fees for trade marks or designs outside the EU are only eligible when submitted using the systems administered by WIPO, not through non-EU IP offices (i.e. an international trade mark/design in Colombia cannot be reimbursed if registered using the Colombian national IP office).