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. It funds the whole process: the prior-art and patentability assessment, a value and exploitation analysis, the strategy and coordination of the filing, and the filing itself including patent attorney work and office fees.
The grant covers about 50 percent of eligible costs, in the order of up to roughly EUR 16,600 per case. 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 about 50 percent of eligible costs, up to roughly EUR 16,600 for the case, 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 €16.6k 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.
The questions we hear most about the programme. Short answer first, detail after.
The whole first-time IP filing process for SMEs, prior-art and patentability assessment, value and exploitation analysis, attorney work and office fees.
A grant of about 50 percent of eligible costs, up to roughly EUR 16,600 per case.
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.
How a manufacturing SME secured a BAFA EEW grant to replace compressed-air and motor systems with…
Read the storyHow a deep-tech company secured EIC Accelerator blended finance to scale a breakthrough hardware…
Read the storyHow a company secured an EU Innovation Fund grant for a grid-scale energy-storage demonstration -…
Read the storyHow a biotech SME secured Eurostars 3 funding for a transnational assay-development project - how…
Read the storyHow a university founder team secured the EXIST founder stipend to turn a research-based software…
Read the storyHow a medical-device manufacturer secured a GRW grant for a cleanroom capacity expansion in a…
Read the storyHow a deep-tech company secured its funded share of a multi-partner Horizon Europe consortium…
Read the storyHow a manufacturer financed a new product line with a low-interest KfW innovation loan - what a…
Read the storyTell us about your project. A funding advisor reviews your case by hand, then either comes back with feedback or a few follow-up questions. No obligation.
