FY2026 1st Round 'Patent etc. Survey and Application Expense Subsidy (Domestic Application / Prior Art Search Subsidy)'

(1) Overview: This is the FY2026 1st round public call of the Fukushima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Center's Patent etc. Survey and Application Expense Subsidy Program (Domestic Application / Prior Art Search Subsidy). It subsidizes part of the costs incurred by Fukushima-based SMEs in filing domestic patent applications, aiming to advance technology and create new businesses. (2) Eligible applicants: SMEs (or their groups) with headquarters, R&D bases or production bases in Fukushima Prefecture, that act as applicants filing domestic industrial property rights (patents, utility models, designs, trademarks) with the Japan Patent Office, or that conduct prior art searches contributing to IP acquisition or R&D. The inventor/creator must belong to the applicant company (out-of-prefecture HQ/offices allowed). So-called 'deemed large enterprises' are excluded. (3) Eligible expenses and subsidy contents: Prior art search costs, and additionally patent application costs. If the applicant has already conducted a prior art search and submits the search result report etc., applying only for patent application costs is also allowed. Project period: April 1 2026 to February 28 2027 (deadline for payment of subsidized expenses). (4) Rate/cap/schedule/key points: Subsidy rate is within 1/2 of eligible expenses. Per-company ceilings: survey 150,000 JPY, application 250,000 JPY. For applications with multiple filings meeting both 'one invention' and 'applicant HQ in Fukushima' conditions, the ceiling is 1,000,000 JPY total per case. Joint-ownership cases reduce eligible expenses by the lower of share ratio or cost contribution. Application period: May 1 to June 30, 2026 (17:00 mandatory arrival). Review late July, decision/notification early August.