UKIPO IP Advance Funding: Support for Businesses to Review Their Intellectual Property

What is UKIPO IP Advance and what funding is available?

We are delighted to announce that the UKIPO has released a new round of funding to qualifying businesses under its ‘IP Advance’ scheme, which can be used to pay for intellectual property audits.

Businesses developing new products, technology or services will often create valuable intellectual property (IP) along the way.

What is less obvious to those businesses is what should be protected, whether there are gaps in the protection already in place and where their future IP expenditure can be better directed.

The good news is that funding is once again available to qualifying businesses through the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) ‘IP Advance’ initiative. The purpose of the scheme is to help businesses obtain a professionally delivered intellectual property audit (IP Audit) to identify these issues above.

For startups and SMEs, in particular, legal strategy can often take a back seat when it comes to the immediate day-to-day demands of running a business.

An IP Audit is very useful because it provides an opportunity to take stock of the position and consider whether the protection in place properly reflects the business and its plans.

What is IP Advance and what funding is available?

IP Advance is a UKIPO initiative designed to help eligible businesses better understand their intellectual property and how it could support their growth plans. The funding available through the initiative can be used towards the cost of obtaining an IP Audit from a qualified legal professional.

Under the scheme, eligible businesses can receive £2,250 including VAT towards the cost of an IP Audit, with the participating business contributing the remaining £750 including VAT.

The funding helps businesses take a proper look at their intellectual property without having to meet the full cost themselves. This can be particularly helpful for startups and growing businesses with limited budgets.

Why could an IP Audit be valuable?

Essentially, an IP Audit is a ‘health check’ for the intellectual property owned by a business.

It looks at what the business has created and owns, from trade marks, patents and designs to software, copyright, confidential information and know-how. It then considers what is already protected, what might need further protection and whether there are any potential problems to address.

The audit answers the following questions:

• What intellectual property have we created and do we own it?
• Are we protecting the right things?
• Are there gaps or risks that need addressing?
• Where should we prioritise future IP expenditure?
• How can our IP support our wider commercial plans?

A clearer understanding of these areas can help a business decide where its time and money are best spent on IP.

Building an IP strategy around your business

Good IP advice is not about registering as many rights as possible. It is about understanding what matters to the business and making sure time and money are spent protecting the right things.

So, rather than simply asking ‘What can we protect?’, it is better to ask ‘What IP is actually valuable to our business‘, ‘What do we need to protect‘ and ‘Where should we be spending our money?‘

Those questions often become more important as a business grows, launches new products, moves into new markets, takes on investment and starts working with new commercial partners.

An IP Audit can help answer those questions. It gives the business a clearer picture of what it has. Only then does it address what needs attention and where future IP spending is likely to have the most value.

Who can access the funding?

The IP Advance funding is available to trading businesses with fewer than 250 employees where intellectual property is, or will be, an essential part of their growth plans.

The UKIPO works with regional partners to deliver the initiative. In England, businesses can access support through Innovate UK Business Growth.

In Wales, it is delivered by Business Wales and in Scotland through Scottish Enterprise.

Further information about the scheme and eligibility is available through the UK Government’s IP Advance Grant Funding guidance.

How can SH&P help?

Stevens Hewlett & Perkins (SH&P) work with a wide range of startups and SMEs at different business stages. We help them make the most of their intellectual property.

Done with expertise and done correctly, this can be a major contribution to business success.

Our approach is to understand the business first: we ask what you are developing, where you want to go and what you consider to be the most important.

Our attorneys are specialists in patents, trade marks and designs and are experts in IP strategy. Our job is to help businesses understand the bigger picture when it comes to their IP and decide what is worth protecting, both now and as the business grows.

If you are part of startup or SME business and think the funding available through the UKIPO IP Advance scheme could be just what your business needs at this stage, then  get in touch with Bob Barnes at SH&P. Bob would be happy to discuss your current IP position, whether you may be eligible for funding and what you could gain from an IP Audit.

Posted: 27th October 2026