Grants towards legal costs: IP Wales

IP WALES run by the Innovation Centre at the University of Swansea offers a route to grant funding for applications for registration of intellectual property rights:

"Our aim is to provide business support to small/medium enterprises (SMEs) and develop your business through the use of patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright, database rights, know-how and licensing agreements. We aim to provide you with the knowledge and financial means to protect and commercially exploit these Intellectual Property (IP) rights.

To this end we offer free expert advice and grants to reimburse 50%+ of the associated legal costs.

We offer a free IP audit service giving your firm an instant report on the IP issues you need to address.

We also offer free training materials to firms and will supply you with a free copy of our monthly IP newsletter."

Grants

"We offer 50%+ reimbursement grants (exclusive of VAT) to selected firms on an individual project basis, subject to the following maximum expenditure (but with no limit on the number of projects for which a firm can apply).

International Patenting
expenditure up to £6,000 = grant of £3,000+

Licensing (in & out) Agreements
expenditure up to £5,000 = grant of £2,500+

UK Patenting
expenditure up to £2,500 = grant of £1,250+

International Trademarking
expenditure up to £2,500 = grant of £1,250+

Copyright
expenditure up to £2,500 = grant of £1,250+

Database Rights
expenditure up to £2,500 = grant of £1,250+

Industrial Designs
expenditure up to £2,500 = grant of £1,250+

Know-How
expenditure up to £2,500 = grant of £1,250+

UK Trademarking
expenditure up to £750 = grant of £375+

Trademark Alerting Service (p.a.)
expenditure up to £500 = grant of £250+

While we are in the unusual business of giving away money, note that as conditions of the gifts they have to be

To the right firm - SMEs in Wales

For the right purpose - Growing their business through IP

At the right time - Creating and safeguarding jobsTo apply for a grant simply complete the IP audit questionnaire on the IP Wales website and you will be contacted by our Field Officer for your area.

IP Wales is part funded by the EUROPEAN UNION and WDA."

For more information about IP Wales, go to www.ipwales.com

Material from the Innovation Centre,
IP Wales, University of Swansea November 2002