Voucher 3I — Invest in Innovation (Voucher 3I — Investire in Innovazione)
Funds Italian companies for patent development support through a recurring voucher pathway.
Voucher 3I — Investire in Innovazione is a MIMIT incentive administered by Invitalia that subsidises the purchase of professional patent advisory services by innovative startups and microenterprises. The voucher covers services rendered exclusively by professionals registered in the Consiglio Nazionale Forense or the Ordine dei Consulenti in Proprietà Industriale and covers three specific activities: patentability assessment and prior-art searches; drafting and filing a patent application with the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM); and filing abroad under a priority claim from a previous Italian national application. Voucher amounts are EUR 1,000, EUR 3,000, or EUR 4,000 plus VAT depending on the service engaged, and the aid is granted under the de minimis regime. The total endowment for the 2023–2024 period is EUR 9 million.
Eligibility is limited to innovative startups and microenterprises registered in Italy. Research institutions, universities, and non-profit organisations are not eligible. Applications have been accepted on a rolling basis since 12:00 on 10 December 2024 via the Invitalia platform, with submissions accepted daily from 09:00 to 18:00 on working days until the allocated resources are exhausted. There is no fixed closing date; the sportello remains open until funds run out. The Directorial Decree of 19 November 2024 sets out the terms and procedures for submitting applications.
The voucher is straightforward to apply for but access depends on funding availability at the time of submission, given the first-come, first-served allocation. Applicants must identify a qualifying professional service provider from the official registers before submitting. The voucher represents a low-friction entry point for early-stage Italian tech ventures that have an invention they wish to protect and need help structuring the patent application process — particularly for international priority filings that require specialist legal guidance.
Patent advisory services from registered lawyers / industrial-property consultants: patentability assessment, prior-art search, drafting, Italian Patent Office filing, foreign priority filing.
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