Source date: 2026-03-31

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SME Funds: SMEs Can Get Reimbursement for Intellectual Property Expenses Published on April 1, 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Has your SME undertaken steps related to IP (patent applications, etc.)? The SME Funds can cover part of the expenses incurred related to certain intellectual property titles. It allows them to receive partial reimbursements in the form of checks. Applications for 2026 have been open since February 2 and are accessible until December 4, 2026.

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Since February 2, companies wishing to do so can submit their funding application to SME Funds. Applications are open to all companies established within the European Union or in Ukraine that meet the European definition of SMEs. Under EU law, an SME is a company with fewer than 250 employees whose annual turnover is less than 50 million euros or whose annual balance sheet is less than 43 million euros.

Reimbursement is not retroactive. Therefore, it is necessary to apply for the grant and receive a favorable allocation decision before proceeding with patent applications or any other procedures related to intellectual property.

Reimbursement is made in the form of capped checks. There are 4 types:

• Check 1: for prior diagnostic services of Intellectual Property (IP Scan) and for IP Scan Enforcement, a maximum annual amount of €1620 is allocated per company. It is possible to obtain a reimbursement of up to 90%;

• Check 2: for trademark, design, or model application fees, a maximum annual amount of €700 is allocated for reimbursement of regional, national, or international fees. For European fees and for national and regional fees, reimbursement can cover up to 75% of the amount. For fees related to applications outside the European Union, i.e., internationally, the reimbursement can go up to 50%;

• Check 3: for patents, a maximum annual amount of €3500 per company for a European patent application or for prior art searches. In all cases, reimbursement is at 75%, or €1000. The reimbursement is 50% for legal fees related to drafting the patent with a maximum amount of €2500 (subject to certain conditions);

• Check 4: the maximum annual amount of €1500 for an application for a European Union plant variety certificate. Companies can obtain up to 75% reimbursement for online application fees.

There is no limit on the number of title applications as long as the cap is not reached. Companies that have already applied in previous years can apply again. They can submit an application on the EUIPO website (European Union Intellectual Property Office) by following the steps.

SME funds are limited, so it is possible that applications may close before December 4, 2026, in case of fund exhaustion. Currently, applications are still open.

Legal texts and references

• Commission Recommendation of May 6, 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (Text of interest to the EEA) [notified under number C(2003) 1422]

See also

• SME Fund 2026: benefit from up to €7,320 in reimbursement National Institute of Industrial Property (Inpi)

• Funds for SMEs EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office)

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Source: Service-Public professionals