A hardware company has developed a novel mechanical mechanism that is central to its product. The founders know that without protection a larger competitor could copy the mechanism once the product is on the market, but they have never filed a patent, lack the in-house expertise, and are wary of the cost of patent attorneys and office fees.
WIPANO (Wissens- und Technologietransfer durch Patente und Normen) funds two things that turn innovation into transferable value: securing intellectual property and standardisation. Its patenting strand is aimed at SMEs securing intellectual property for the first time, or whose last filing is at least three years back. Module 1 funds the prior-art search and the patent or utility-model filing including patent attorney and office fees, Module 2 first exploitation steps such as a cost-benefit analysis, a prototype or a trade-fair stand.
The grant covers 50 percent of eligible costs, at most €16,000 (€10,000 in Module 1, €6,000 in Module 2). The work is carried out by qualified external service providers that the company can choose freely, with the filing handled by a patent attorney. The programme is run through the Juelich project management agency, with applications via the easy-Online portal.
This is exactly the gap WIPANO's patenting strand addresses. The grant of 50 percent of eligible costs halved the financial barrier to protecting the mechanism. Just as importantly, the structured process forced a proper prior-art search and a value analysis before money was spent, which is exactly the discipline a first-time applicant usually lacks. The prior-art assessment, the value analysis, the attorney work and the filing fees were all eligible. The patenting strand covers patents and utility models alike, and the company was free to choose its own patent attorney and service providers, with WIPANO funding the eligible share of their work rather than prescribing who carries it out.
A €12k WIPANO grant.
The amount is small compared with an R&D grant, but the leverage is high. A single core patent can be the difference between a defensible market position and being copied. For an early-stage company, a few thousand euros of own funds securing a first patent family is among the highest-return uses of public support available.
Patenting · 50% of eligible costsCompanies developing genuinely novel hardware or processes should treat first-time patenting as a deliberate step, not an afterthought. WIPANO makes that step affordable and brings professional structure to a process founders otherwise tend to postpone until it is too late.
More on WIPANO: The guide WIPANO: patents, standards and application explains the programme step by step. How we support your project is covered under WIPANO consulting.
The questions we hear most about the programme. Short answer first, detail after.
The first IP filing of SMEs: in Module 1 prior-art search, patent attorney and office fees, in Module 2 first exploitation steps such as a cost-benefit analysis.
50 percent of eligible costs, at most €16,000 (Module 1: €10,000, Module 2: €6,000).
SMEs with a German establishment whose last IP filing is at least three years back.
It roughly halves the cost and brings a proper prior-art search and value analysis to a process founders often postpone.
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