"Investing in and protecting intellectual property and research are vitally important pieces of building an innovative economy. Answering the call from those looking to innovate, Budget 2022 helps to protect and expand intellectual property and research; attract leading researchers; advance critical research priorities; and strengthen the security of our research institutions."
- Budget 2022: A Plan to Grow our Economy and Make Life More Affordable (Government of Canada)
As part of its 2022 budget, the Government of Canada unveiled its commitment to supporting the development and protection of intellectual property by announcing it had earmarked $96.6 million over 5 years to be invested in support services for IP. A portion of the budget will go towards supporting existing programs like ExploreIP and CanExport.
As part of this commitment, NRC IRAP is launching IP Assist, an initiative aimed at Canadian small and medium sized businesses to deliver support services (including financial support) for the protection, monetization and commercialization of their IP. If you are an SME based in Canada looking for assistance with your intellectual property, you may be eligible for financial support through this program.
Stratford Intellectual Property offers an IP Strategy Review service which will provide an assessment of your existing IP strategy and/or your existing portfolio of patents, trademarks, trade secrets, industrials designs, copyrights, partnerships, and open-source software usage as well as recommendations for best practices and identifying any gaps or potential risks.
Qualifying businesses are eligible to offset the cost of the IP Strategy Review through the IP Assist program.
If you have questions about our IP Strategy Review or your eligibility for IP Assist, please reach out to one of our IP Experts to discuss your options.
Other Intellectual Property Assistance Programs