New IP grant launched by UK IPO

For SMEs and innovative businesses previously having completed an IP audit (under the UK IPO IP Audits Plus programme), the new IP Access grant provides up to £5,000 (including VAT) towards a number of costs including professional fees for IP services.

The IP audit must have been completed between April 2020 and March 2022.

Companies can be given the funding to implement some of the recommendations from their IP audit to drive forward the management and development of intellectual property of value to the business.

Specifically, the IP Access grant funding can be used to cover professional fees related to:

• management of IP assets;
• commercialisation of IP;
• licensing and franchising agreements;
• IP insurance;
• IP valuation;
• tax relief advice;
• patent, trade mark and registered design searching; and
• the preparation of patent, trade mark and registered design applications.

The funds cannot be used to cover the official filing fees for filing patent, trade mark or registered design applications.

You can even apply for funding to cover expenses you incurred previously to take forward recommendations made in the IP audit report.

To find out more, you can contact your nominated contact at your previous funding partner (e.g. Scottish Enterprise, Innovate UK Edge, or the Welsh Government) to discuss your options. We would be delighted to work with you to implement some of the recommendations from your IP audit report, even where we didn't complete the earlier work.