New businesses are born every day and business owners’ desire to stand out is proving to be quite a challenge. Protecting a name or logo is part of that work, yet the application process and the associated fees can feel intimidating. If you are one of those people, we can explain how the EU SME Fund works and help you plan the protection your business needs.
There is one practical point to know straight away: on 2 October 2026, the EUIPO programme page shows Voucher 1 for IP Scans and Voucher 2 for trade marks and designs as unavailable for new applications because their funds are exhausted. If you already hold an award, its terms and dates show how you can use the support for your registration.
Benefits of the EU SME Fund
The EU SME Fund is a scheme offered by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to eligible SMEs established in the EU or Ukraine. It encourages businesses to protect intellectual property by reimbursing part of specified eligible fees or activities.
The trade mark/design category describes reimbursement of up to 75% of eligible national, regional and EU fees, within the voucher limit. The eligible fee categories and voucher maximum determine the amount. Keeping filing fees, professional advice and other project costs separate gives you a useful budget. Patents and community plant varieties have separate voucher categories.
The official FAQ explains the sequence: a positive grant decision must come before the eligible IP activity. After the award, the business carries out the eligible activity, pays the fees and requests reimbursement with the required evidence. This order connects the grant award, eligible activity and reimbursement in one manageable process.
Who Can Benefit?
To qualify for the EU SME Fund, you have to be an eligible SME established in the EU or Ukraine. Three important factors enter the SME assessment:
- Staff headcount
- Annual turnover
- Balance-sheet total
Under the European Commission definition, a small enterprise has fewer than 50 staff and annual turnover or a balance-sheet total not exceeding €10 million. The general SME ceilings are fewer than 250 staff and annual turnover not exceeding €50 million or a balance-sheet total not exceeding €43 million. Partner and linked enterprises can affect the figures.
Staff are counted under the applicable annual-work-unit rules, with part-time work counted proportionately. The EU recommendation sets out the details.
The programme also requires evidence of eligibility and the prescribed application documents. DW&P can help you bring the relevant figures and documents together for the application.
Timing and existing vouchers
The 2026 programme advertises an application window from 2 February to 4 December, subject to funding remaining. For trade marks and designs, new applications are currently unavailable because the funds are exhausted. For an existing award, the individual voucher dates guide the next steps.
If you already have a trade mark/design voucher, timing still matters. The current FAQ gives a one-month activation period and a possible one-month extension under the procedure. Activation requires a reimbursement request. Planning the filing, payment evidence and reimbursement together helps you work within the voucher period. The dates in your award and account are the ones to work with. Other voucher categories have their own conditions.
With an existing voucher, the next step is to organise the award and its deadlines. If you are planning a new registration, your protection strategy and budget can be prepared on the basis of the funding currently available.
How DW&P Can Help You
Protecting your brand is easier to organise when the registration and any available funding are considered together. DW&P can help with the decisions, documents and application work, including:
- Handling and facilitating the SME declaration process.
- Helping you decide on the particulars of your trademark, such as the type of trademark to be registered, under which classes, whether to opt for a local or an EU trademark etc.
- Carrying out research into earlier rights to help assess the risk of a challenge.
- Handling the trademark registration process.
- Compiling the necessary documents.
- Help you identify whether your entity qualifies for the SME Fund and whether the relevant voucher is available.
- Helping with the SME Fund process where the relevant support is available.
- Helping you with any queries regarding the reimbursement voucher.
- Discussing questions that arise during the registration and reimbursement process.
Do you have a name or logo to protect, or an awarded voucher to use? We can discuss the right filing route and the work required. The initial consultation is free. Book a free initial consultation.
This article does not constitute legal advice.
This article does not replace individual tax advice.
