Nagano Pref. FY2026 SME Overseas IP Application Support Subsidy

(1) Overview: Nagano Industrial Promotion Organization (a Nagano prefectural foundation) administers this subsidy, funded by METI, to help SMEs based in Nagano Prefecture file foreign patent / utility model / design / trademark applications (and "defensive" trademark applications against bad-faith filings) corresponding to existing Japanese applications, via the Paris Convention, PCT, Hague Agreement, or Madrid Protocol routes. (2) Eligible applicants: SMEs with their principal place of business in Nagano Prefecture meeting the Small and Medium Enterprise Support Act size thresholds (manufacturing/construction/transport: capital under JPY 300M or 300 employees; wholesale: JPY 100M or 100; service: JPY 50M or 100; retail: JPY 50M or 50). Eligible legal forms include corporations, individual proprietors, business cooperatives, chambers of commerce, and NPOs (the latter four only for regional collective trademarks). "Deemed large enterprises" (50%+ owned by a single large company, 2/3+ owned by multiple large companies, half of directors from large enterprises, 100% owned subsidiaries of JPY 500M+ companies, or 3-year average taxable income over JPY 1.5B) are excluded. (3) Eligible expenses: foreign patent office filing fees, local agent fees, domestic patent attorney fees, and translation costs. Excluded: JPO fees, PCT international-phase fees, Japanese consumption tax, prior-art search costs, and application-drafting fees. Only expenses contracted and paid between the grant decision date and end of January are reimbursable. (4) Subsidy rate / cap / schedule: 1/2 of eligible costs. Annual ceiling per company JPY 3,000,000. Per-application ceilings: patent JPY 1,500,000; utility model / design / trademark JPY 600,000; defensive trademark JPY 300,000. Application window: 14 May – 26 June 2026; selection late July; foreign filing and performance report by end of January 2027; payment by end of March 2027. Bonus points for Nagano's priority sectors (health/medical, environment/energy, next-gen mobility, food, IT) and for SMEs declaring 2.5%+ wage hikes or pursuing work-life balance certifications.