How to get government contributions to protect your IP assets: Three-step approach

The federal and provincial governments offer substantial contributions to eligible companies to offset their costs in intellectual property.  Typically, these include a three-step program offering funding at each step.  We at Perpetual Motion Patents can help you apply for these competitive programs.  See how to secure funding for your business.

Background

Protecting a business’s tangible assets is a no-brainer.  But what about Intellectual property (IP)? Any investor would say that it is just as important.  Data shows that more than 50% of businesses that owned IP credited it with improving their success in some capacity.*  

IP assets can include patents, trademarks (TM), trade secrets (TS), copyright, design rights, data, open source, etc.  Picking what’s relevant to your company is important.  Understanding how to navigate the whole process is equally important.  However, the complexity of the procedure and the associated financial costs may discourage some companies from protecting their IP assets. 

Enter government contributions

To combat this issue and to encourage growth of Canadian businesses, the federal and provincial governments have various funding programs.  AccelerateIP and IRAP IP Assist are two major programs offering parallel services for eligible organizations.  For example, SMEs with fewer than 500 employees can receive up to $100,000 (with a certain % of co-pay) for 1. IP Education, 2. Planning and 3. Implementation.  Companies may mix-and-match the contributions offered by both programs to maximize benefits. 

The three-step approach

1. IP education.  Receive IP education for free so you don’t have to pay your patent agent, trademark agent, or lawyer to teach you.  The AccelerateIP program introduced a free online program called IP Pathways to equip startups and others, with the fundamentals of IP.  In 2025, there are four cohorts running in April, June, October and December.  If an online course is not your thing, registered service providers can deliver a two-hour education session free-of-charge which is equivalent to the IP pathways program.   

• Create an IP plan.  An IP plan is the heart of this process.  Completion of IP education (Step 1 a.k.a. Stream/Level 1) unlocks funding for Step 2 (a.k.a. Stream/Level 2) to develop an IP plan.  Our advice is to treat this step as an opportunity to steel your organization on important matters and to prepare for Step 3.  Some companies treat Step 2 as a hurdle to jump over to get to Step 3 quickly. They soon discover that doing so decreases their chances of getting funding.

• Implement the IP plan.  Completion of Step 2 unlocks even more funding for legal costs associated with drafting, filing and prosecution of patents, TM’s, etc. This is Step 3 a.k.a. Stream 3.  A strong IP plan is required to be eligible for Step 3 where you get up to $60,000 in contributions.

Companies can hire registered service providers for assistance with each step.  Perpetual Motion Patents is a registered service provider for both Accelerate IP and IP Assist programs.

Ask for the funding you want

Not every company needs to get a patent.  In your Stream 2 application, request funding for what you want to in your IP plan.  However, don’t run the risk of a low-effort proposal either.  Read the program guidelines to align your application with the program’s priorities.  Accelerate IP program prioritizes applicants who can demonstrate their involvement in certain industries.  IP Assist prioritizes companies focused on innovation with demonstrable need for IP protection.

Case studies

Company X makes innovative products used in recreational sports.  In their AccelerateIP Stream 2 application for an IP plan, they asked for a minimum amount of funding for a basic IP landscape report so they could just jump to Stream 3 funding for filing their patent applications.  On the other hand, company Y provides data analytics related to sports.  In their Stream 2 application, company Y requested funding for an IP plan which includes a few key IP assets relevant to their business.  Furthermore, Company Y showed their business aligned with priorities in the program guidelines how increased sales would be protected by those assets.  Who do you think got the funding? If you chose company Y, then you get what we mean.

We recommend you cite learnings from the previous step, align with priorities so the funder, and be ready to act. Company X is involved in aviation creating tangible systems used on aircraft.  They took IP Assist monies for the first two steps. We created a strategic IP plan for them running about 150 pages and calling for strong IP rights.  The next month company X cited this need and applied for Stream 3 funding to secure patents in US and Canada. Sadly, they were waitlisted, but in December AccelerateIP sent word funds were available if spent in the two months.

When to apply?

AccelerateIP program is now accepting Stream 2 and Stream 3 applications.  The deadline to apply is 2025 May 29.  But don’t wait until the last day to apply.  A strong application makes all the difference.  Be prepared to answer the questions with ties back to the company’s IP and business plan.  Demonstrate the need for the proposed work and funding.

Conclusion

We encourage companies to make use of these generous programs.  Even if your business is not directly involved in a priority sector, there are ways to make your application attractive to funders.  We offer grant writing services tailored to each company to increase your chances of success.  Please contact us at [email protected].

References

• *Intellectual Property Awareness and Use Survey, 2019, Statistics Canada, DOI: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210218/dq210218b-eng.htm
• AccelerateIP, DOI: Elevate IP https://www.newventuresbc.com/accelerateip/
• IRAP IP Assist, DOI: https://ipic.ca/resources/ip-assist-non-members