Trademarks, patents, and designs: they are all vital to stop bigger companies from muscling in on the bright ideas of small and medium sized West of England businesses.
Now local firms will get a helping hand to grow, thanks to new grants from Mayor Dan Norris’ West of England Mayoral Combined Authority. The funding will help local firms to protect their intellectual property (IP).
Cash injections of up to £8,000 are on offer to help cover the costs of assessing a company’s IP potential, registering trademarks or patents, and training staff. Any local business with fewer than 250 employees in the region could be eligible.
Mayor Dan Norris said: “Intellectual property may sound like corporate jargon, but it’s incredibly important for our innovative West of England. Without it, our local businesses with ground-breaking ideas might lose out to bigger companies. That’s why I’m pleased to invest in protecting their intellectual property.”
The Mayor previously backed Bath-based start-up Epowar to protect their IP. The local start-up developed a safety app that uses AI to tackle violence against women.
Co-founder Erin said: “The grant allowed us to protect valuable intellectual property which is a major competitive advantage for our company. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to cover these costs, as we were early stage and pre-funding at the time.”
To find out if your business could benefit, visit the IP for Growth webpage or contact wearegrowth@westofengland-ca.gov.uk
