[Tottori] FY2026 SME Overseas Expansion Support Subsidy (Foreign IP Application Support)

(1) Overview: The Tottori SME Overseas Expansion Support Subsidy (Foreign IP Application Support) is administered by the Tottori Industrial Promotion Organization (Intellectual Property Center) as an indirect subsidy under METI's national 'Overseas Application Support Project' guidelines (revised March 19, 2026). It subsidizes part of the costs SMEs incur when filing patent, utility model, design, or trademark applications abroad, including 'preemptive trademark' filings, to support overseas business development through IP rights. (2) Eligibility: SMEs (including sole proprietors, business cooperatives, chambers of commerce, and — for regional collective trademarks — NPOs) with a head office, branch, or factory in Tottori Prefecture, conducting business within the prefecture, and not classified as a 'deemed large enterprise' (e.g., not 1/2+ owned by one large company, not under 2/3 ownership by multiple large companies, not 100% owned by a JPY 500M+ parent, average taxable income under JPY 1.5B for the last 3 years). A prior Japan Patent Office filing and identical applicant name between the JP filing and foreign filing is required. Must cooperate with patent attorney coordination, 5-year follow-up surveys, and METI's EBPM program. (3) Eligible expenses: Foreign patent office fees, local attorney fees, domestic attorney fees, translation costs for the foreign filing, and related communication / wire-transfer fees deemed necessary by the secretariat. Only expenses incurred AFTER the grant decision and substantiated by invoices / receipts are eligible. Excluded: domestic Japan filings, PCT international application fees, prior-art search costs, Japanese consumption tax, and foreign VAT. (4) Rate, cap, schedule, key points: 1/2 of eligible costs, rounded down to the nearest JPY 1,000. Per-application caps: JPY 1.5M (patent), JPY 600K (utility model / design / standard trademark), JPY 300K (preemptive trademark). Per-company per-fiscal-year cap: JPY 3M. Third-round application window: May 11 to June 12, 2026 (17:00 must-arrive). Target foreign-office filing deadline: December 31, 2026; results report due January 31, 2027. Apply via downloadable forms (in-person / postal) and optionally jGrants (GビズID required). Bonus points for Regional Future Drivers, wage-raise (>=2.5%) companies, and work-life balance-certified companies (Eruboshi, Kurumin, Youth Yell, etc.).