SME Fund 2026 launched to help EU businesses protect intellectual property

The SME Fund 2026 was launched yesterday, February 2, to help businesses protect their intellectual property.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), with the support of the European Commission and the intellectual property offices of the EU member states, has launched a new SME Fund programme for 2026. This initiative is aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in protecting and using their intellectual property rights. The SME Fund 2026 continues with the voucher-based reimbursement model, allowing businesses to recover part of the costs related to intellectual property.

This brings the total financial support provided to European SMEs to almost 68 million euros. “Since its creation in 2021, the SME Fund has played a key role in helping small and medium-sized enterprises across the European Union to protect and manage their intellectual property assets. Almost 80 percent of applicants are accessing the world of intellectual property for the first time and registering their rights for the very first time,” the EUIPO explained on its website.

In 2025 alone, the fund supported over 33,000 businesses across the EU. It distributed a total of almost 29 million euros to help companies protect trademarks, designs, patents, and plant varieties, and to develop their intellectual property strategies.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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