Since February 2, companies who wish to do so can apply for funding from SME Funds. Applications are open to all companies established within the European Union or Ukraine that meet the European definition of SMEs. Under EU law, an SME is a company with fewer than 250 employees with a turnover of less than EUR 50 million or an annual balance sheet of less than EUR 43 million.

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

• check 1: for services of prior diagnosis of Intellectual Property (IP Scan) and for IP Scan Enforcement, a maximum annual amount of €1,620 is allocated by company. It is possible to get a refund of up to 90% ;
• check 2: for requests for filing of trademarks, designs or models, a maximum annual amount of €700 is allocated for the reimbursement of taxes at regional, national or international level. For European taxes and for national and regional taxes, the refund can cover up to 75% of the amount. For applications concerning taxes outside the European Union, i.e. internationally, the amount may be up to 50% reimbursement;
• check 3: for patents, a maximum annual amount of €3,500 by company for a European patent application or a prior art search. In all cases, the refund is made up to 75% or €1,000. The refund is 50% for legal costs related to the drafting of the patent with a maximum amount of €2,500 (subject to certain conditions);
• check 4: the maximum annual amount of €1,500 for a request for plant variety certificate of the European Union. Companies can get up to 75% refund for online application fees.

There is no limit to the number of security deposits until the cap is reached. Companies who have already applied in previous years may apply again. They can submit an application on the EUIPO website (European Union intellectual property office) by following the steps.