Great success of the IPA4SME service of the European Commission after its first 20 months

The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, O.A. (OEPM) participates in the IPA4SME program launched by the European Commission (EC) in May 2019, offering Spanish companies a free Intellectual and Industrial Property Diagnosis service.

This service is aimed at innovative SMEs that have received the H2020 Program Seal of Excellence. In addition to the aforementioned service, companies can also benefit from aid in the filing of European patent applications, as well as the services offered by Industrial Property Agents.

Throughout the 20 months of development of the program, more than 500 SMEs in the European Union have benefited from it. Of these, almost 150 companies are Spanish. Thus, Spain has led in absolute terms the ranking of EU countries where more companies have requested this service.

The reports carried out include recommendations on the importance of protecting the most important intangible assets of companies and tools to begin to develop an Intellectual and Industrial Property (PII) strategy that helps companies make profitable or obtain better benefits from their businesses.

The results of the service have been perceived by users in a very satisfactory way, highlighting the following points:

• 97% of applicants indicated their interest in applying for additional help;
• 87% of companies reported having gained a better understanding of their PII assets and their value;
• 90% indicated that the PII Pre-Diagnosis report has been a useful tool;
• 91% would recommend the service to other innovative companies.

At this time, the sixth and seventh cuts are being executed and the eighth window to submit applications is open, with a deadline of February 25, 2021. Do not miss it and take advantage of this magnificent opportunity!

If you are interested in the services, you can find more information at the following link: http://ipa4sme.eu/