The Ministry of Economy, Finance, European Funds, and Social Dialogue, through Andalucía TRADE, has activated its support service for industrial property to advise small and medium-sized Andalusian enterprises on the processing of the aid offered by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). These grants cover part of the registration fees for industrial property titles, including trademarks, patents, designs, and plant varieties.
The aid corresponds to the so-called SME Fund 2026, a fund endowed with 20.13 million euros that has been open since February 2 and until December 4, 2026, or until the budget is exhausted. SMEs domiciled in the European Union and Ukraine can apply for up to 700 euros for trademark or design registration, up to 1,000 euros for national patents and searches of the state of the art, up to 2,500 euros for European patents and associated legal costs, and up to 1,500 euros for the community protection of plant varieties. In the previous edition, more than 25,000 SMEs from across the EU benefited from this grant line, and those that received aid in previous years can reapply in the current call.
The advice from Andalucía TRADE covers both the study of the aids and their processing, with support for companies throughout the entire process. This work is carried out as part of its membership in the EU IP Helpdesk Ambassador network, as well as its status as a PATLIB Center, integrated into the European Patent Office (EPO) network, and as an Industrial Property Information Center linked to the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM).
The Industrial Property and Technological Surveillance service of Andalucía TRADE carries out an integral task in this matter within the autonomous community. Its functions range from advising on strategies for protecting intangible assets and processing applications, to preparing reports on the state of the art and evaluating the patentability of results derived from R&D projects. The service covers inventions, distinctive signs, and industrial designs both nationally and internationally and is provided through personalized free reports that allow companies to understand the technological situation and make informed decisions about their projects.
During 2025, this service handled a total of 4,621 inquiries related to industrial property, which included personalized advice, applications for trademarks, trade names, utility models, patents, and industrial designs, in addition to the receipt and registration of documentation for maintaining titles, opposition writings, renewals, and refunds of undue payments. The largest volume of actions corresponded to general information inquiries, focused on advice on protection strategies, conducting searches for prior art, and guidance for completing applications, mainly through electronic means. A significant portion of these inquiries resulted in registration applications, with trademarks being the most frequent category in registration activity.
In the section on technological surveillance, which consists of the observation and systematic analysis of the scientific and technological environment so that companies can monitor their context and anticipate potential changes, Andalucía TRADE prepared a total of 167 reports in 2025: 35 on patents, 119 on trademarks, one on designs, six on technological surveillance, and another six on internationalization of trademarks.
Regarding Andalucía's position within the State as a whole, the autonomous community consolidated its third national position in 2024 for submitting applications for patents, trademarks, and industrial designs to the OEPM, with a total of 8,020 protection figures submitted, representing a weight of over 14.6% of the national total. Madrid holds the first position in all categories, followed by Catalonia in trademarks, Valencia in patents, and Castilla y León in industrial designs. Andalucía remains the third community in all three areas. By type of protection figure, Andalusian companies submitted 7,310 trademark applications, 169 patents, 352 utility models, and 189 industrial design applications.