Industrial Property: €32 million for Patents+, Designs+, and Trademarks+

The Ministry of Business and Made in Italy has reopened the Patents+, Designs+, and Trademarks+ measures for 2026, allocating a total of €32 million to protect and enhance the industrial property rights of small and medium-sized Italian businesses.

The provision, published in the Official Journal no. 200 of August 29, 2026, provides continuity to the tools envisaged in the strategic guidelines defined by MIMIT for the three-year period 2024-2026.

The goal is to support companies in transforming their intangible assets, such as patents, designs, models, and trademarks, into tangible tools for innovation, growth, and competitive strengthening.

How will the resources be distributed?

The overall allocation of 32 million euros will be divided between the three measures according to the following breakdown:

• 20 million euros for Brevetti+;

• 10 million euros for Disegni+;

• 2 million euros for Marchi+.

The new calls for proposals, which will define requirements, eligible expenses, operating procedures, and application deadlines, are expected to be published by the MIMIT General Directorate for Business Incentives within 30 days.

Patents+: From invention protection to economic exploitation

Brevetti+ is the measure with the largest financial allocation, equal to 20 million euros.

The intervention is aimed at supporting the economic valorization of patents and promoting their effective use in production processes and on the market.

Owning a patent, in fact, does not automatically mean being able to turn it into a competitive advantage. To generate value, the invention must be part of a structured industrial and commercial process, which may include design, engineering, development, production process organization, and market entry strategy definition.

The measure is therefore aimed at SMEs that intend to move beyond the simple legal protection of their invention and begin a concrete process of economic exploitation of the patent.

Disegni+: support for design and marketing

10 million euros have been allocated to the Disegni+ measure.

The incentive aims to assist companies in promoting their designs and models, supporting the process from design to production and subsequent marketing.

Design is a strategic element for many Made in Italy sectors. It doesn't just concern the aesthetics of a product, but can also impact its functionality, recognizability, usability, and ability to differentiate itself from competitors' offerings.

The measure could therefore represent a particularly interesting opportunity for SMEs operating in the furniture, fashion, crafts, manufacturing, packaging, and consumer products sectors, among others.

Marchi+: Protecting your brand on European and international markets

Marchi+ has a budget of €2 million and is intended to support the protection of Italian trademarks in the European Union and international markets.

For companies intending to expand their presence abroad, trademark registration is an essential step. Protection obtained exclusively in Italy may not be sufficient to prevent third parties from using or registering identical or similar marks in other countries.

The measure will support SMEs in their European and international registration processes, helping protect their corporate identity, reputation, and brand value.

Why it is important to prepare before the publication of the tenders

The publication of the directorial decree confirms the available resources, but does not yet determine the opening of the application procedures.

The new tenders will have to establish in detail:

• the access requirements;

• eligible expenses and services;

• the intensity of the benefits;

• the maximum amounts that can be granted;

• the necessary documentation;

• the methods and dates for submitting applications.

Given the nature of previous editions and the possible concentration of requests in the early stages of opening, it is advisable for interested companies to begin immediately to verify their position and define the valorization project.

Preliminary preparation allows you to identify any critical issues, gather the necessary documentation, and structure a spending plan consistent with the measure's objectives, without having to rush into action after the call for proposals has been published.

Industrial property as a lever for growth

Patents, trademarks, designs, and models are not just protection tools. If properly managed, they can become true corporate assets, capable of increasing the company's value, facilitating entry into new markets, supporting licensing agreements, and strengthening the competitive position among customers, investors, and industrial partners.

The reopening of Brevetti+, Disegni+, and Marchi+ therefore offers Italian SMEs the opportunity to include industrial property within a broader innovation and development strategy.

Italiano & Partners supports companies in the preliminary analysis of requirements, in defining the development project, in preparing the application, and in managing the subsequent phases of the incentive.

While waiting for the new calls to be published, interested companies can initiate a preliminary assessment of their patent, design, and trademark portfolios to promptly assess their eligibility for available funding.