Eligible activities

1. IP Scan – IP pre-diagnostic audit (IPPDA) services – VOUCHER 1For IP Scan, SME must be established in a Member State of the European Union in which eligible IP Scan services can be provided (For more information please see the call for proposals documentation, namely the Annex 1 — List of maximum amounts by EU country for IP SCAN).IP Scan – IP pre-diagnostic audit (IPPDA) services are intended to provide advice to SMEs on the potential of intellectual property for developing their business. They are provided by experts designated by participating MS IPOs, under their coordination and upon request of the beneficiary.
2. Trade mark and design protection within the EU (national, regional and EU levels) – VOUCHER 1Eligible IP rights are trade marks and designs filed directly and electronically (where possible) at the EUIPO and the MS IPOs, including the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP).Where available, the SMEs shall make use of eFiling to ensure the Harmonised Database or Design Class compliance of the applications and the immediate payment of the application fees (e.g. Fast Track application forms at the EUIPO).

   The scope includes trade mark and design fees for acquiring trade mark or design protection in the EU (including application, class, examination, registration, publication and the deferment of publication fees as applicable).

3. Trade mark and design protection outside of the EU – VOUCHER.To support the growth of EU SMEs on a more international scale, the eligible fees include international trade marks and designs using the systems administered by WIPO.

   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 (Madrid System);
   • The international design system (The Hague System).

   Designation fees of EU countries are excluded, as are handling fees charged by the office of origin.

4. Patent fees for national patent protection – VOUCHER 2The eligible fees are those charged by the MS IPOs for registering national patents, including the filing fees, the research fees, the examination fees and the publication fees.

   To benefit from a patent-related activity, SMEs will have to indicate, for information purpose, whether it has received an IP Scan certificate from a national IP Scan provider in an EU Member State or if it has received the Horizon IP Scan. SMEs are encouraged to first apply for an IP Scan service to maximise the benefits from the patent-related activities.