The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has announced the reopening of the patent voucher under the Ideas Powered for Business – SME Fund 2025 .
This is the last application window for financial support this year . Applications will be accepted until all available funds are exhausted (the program's budget is €18 million ).
The programme is aimed at micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from European Union Member States that are active VAT payers.
The SME Fund will operate until funds are exhausted, as the number of funds is limited, and funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Benefits of registering intellectual property rights
Registering intellectual property rights allows us to prevent others, especially competing businesses, from using our inventions or ideas without permission.
Entities eligible for funding
Only entities established in a European Union Member State and belonging to the category of small and medium-sized enterprises as defined in the table below are eligible to benefit from the funding:
| Company Category | Number of employees | Annual turnover | Total assets |
| Medium-sized enterprise | <250 | ≤ 50 million EUR | ≤ 43 million EUR |
| Small enterprise | <50 | ≤ 10 million EUR | ≤ 10 million EUR |
| Micro enterprise | <10 | ≤ 2 million EUR | ≤ 2 million EUR |
What activities can be funded?
- Refund of official fees for filing inventions with the Polish Patent Office (max. 75% refund of the fee at the national level) – 1000 EUR
- The fees charged by national intellectual property offices in EU countries for obtaining a national patent include all standard fees related to the granting of protection, in particular fees for filing, examining and processing the application, as well as fees for granting the patent and its publication.
- Refund of official fees for invention applications at the EPO (maximum 75% refund of the fee at the European level) – 1000 EUR
- Eligible costs include fees charged by the European Patent Office for filing applications and conducting searches for European patent applications.
- Patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) are not subject to reimbursement.
- Reimbursement of the attorney's fee for filing a European invention application (max. 50% of the fee refund)) – 1500 EUR
- Eligible costs may include expenses for preparing and filing new European patent applications, provided that these services are provided by an EU entity authorised to represent the applicant before the European Patent Office in accordance with the European Patent Convention.
- Reimbursement is only possible if the service actually resulted in the preparation and filing of a European patent application and the application itself was properly filed with the European Patent Office.
How to obtain funding
Entrepreneurs interested in obtaining funding will first be required to submit a funding application, specifying the activities they wish to finance and attaching the required documents (bank statement, VAT certificate or certificate of national registration number issued by the relevant national authority, and a power of attorney if the SME is represented by a representative). Next, the entrepreneur will need to submit an application for registration of the intellectual property rights for which funding is sought. After registering the selected intellectual property rights, the entrepreneur will be required to submit a claim for reimbursement of incurred costs. Importantly, the entrepreneur will be required to cover official fees from their own funds and only then recover the incurred costs.
Companies that have already benefited from this type of voucher in 2025 cannot apply for the same support again.
Assistance in obtaining funding
In previous editions, Graś i Wspólnicy Law Firm has helped numerous entities obtain funding for various activities sponsored by this program. Our assistance includes, in particular, determining which activities, from the entrepreneur's perspective, merit funding, as well as preparing the funding application and all necessary documents. Once funding is awarded, the Firm can also submit an application on behalf of the entrepreneur to register the intellectual property rights for which the entrepreneur received funding. At the end of the process, we can also apply for reimbursement of incurred costs on your behalf.
If you are interested, please contact us at biuro@kglegal.pl.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
The law is current as of December 10, 2025.
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