Intellectual Property

If you develop a new product, service, brand or process, it makes sense to protect your intellectual property. Invest NI’s support in this area is both advisory and financial and is open to businesses in Northern Ireland.

What areas can we advise on?  

Our specialist advisors can help you with:

• international patents, including patent searches
• trademarks, including trademark searches
• designs and copyright
• carrying out an Intellectual Asset Management Audit to establish what elements of your business may need intellectual property protection, and advice on how to get the appropriate protection.

We also run seminars and events in conjunction with the UK Intellectual Property Office, The British Library and The European Patent Office.

What financial support do we offer?

We may be able to offer financial assistance to help pay for the costs involved in protecting patents, trademarks, design registration and licensing agreements.     

We assess applications for financial support on a case by case basis and your business will be expected to pay a proportion of the cost of the assistance.

Your next step

If you are interested in getting advice and support relating to intellectual property please fill in our short enquiry form or call us on 0800 181 4422.