Corporate value is increasingly intangible, and evidence shows that companies owning IPRs significantly outperform their peers. Despite this, firms often have more difficulty using their Intellectual Property to access finance and many are forced to leave the EU to scale up. Financial instruments remain rooted in tangible assets and have not kept abreast of the shift to intangibles. 

As part of its Strategic Plan 2030, the EUIPO seeks to help make intellectual property a key driver for SME growth and competitiveness in Europe, by improving access to finance. The Office is working on a suite of actions related to IP-backed finance, including a report on the current state of play of IP-backed finance in Europe, to be published in 2026, and diverse actions in relation to IP valuation, access to finance, and engagement with financial stakeholders from the public and private sector.

The IP backed finance initiative: Combining expertise to develop an IP finance roadmap

As part of these actions, the EUIPO and the Commission are putting in place an initiative that brings together policymakers, IP offices, financial institutions including the European Investment Fund (EIF), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Banking Authority (EBA) as well as business leaders, and experts from the public and private sectors.

The preparatory workshops for the IP-backed finance initiative, which were co-chaired by the EUIPO and the European Commission, took place in Brussels on 4-5 December 2025.

To drive this initiative forward, to groups will be established: an IP-backed Finance Steering Group (SG) and a Technical Working Group (TWG). The Technical Working Group’s role will be to prepare proposals that will be reviewed by the Steering Group, made up of key advisors shaping the EU’s strategic approach to IP valuation and financing.

Members of the Steering Group will include representatives from IP offices, the European Commission, the European Association of Guarantee Institutions (AECM), European Business Angels Network (EBAN), the European Investment Fund (EIF), the European Federation of Accountants and Auditors (EFAA), the European Micro-Finance Network (ENM), Invest Europe, and representatives from the banking sector and industry.

The Technical Working Group will combine expertise from public and private sectors, including members from Accountancy Europe, European Innovation Council (EIC), European Investment Fund (EIF); International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI,) International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC), the European Commission and IP offices. This group will have the task of developing the IP Finance Roadmap, a strategic initiative of distinct actions designed to help businesses across Europe, especially start-ups, scale-ups, and SMEs, access finance based on the value of their intellectual property.

This important get-together marked the start of a forward-looking dialogue to explore opportunities for innovative financial products and the role of EU programmes within the context of the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034.

Source: https://www.euipo.europa.eu/en/news/euipo-european-commission-workshop-for-the-ip-backed-finance-initiative