Aatmanirbhar Gujarat Scheme for assistance to MSMEs: Assistance for Patent Registration

The Industries and Mines Department, Gujarat, runs the Aatmanirbhar Gujarat Scheme for MSMEs as an umbrella initiative. It aims to strengthen the state's MSME sector, which contributes to employment, GDP and exports. The scheme remains in force from 5 October 2022 to 4 October 2027, reflecting a long-term push towards economic self-reliance in Gujarat and support for the wider Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.

One component of the scheme, Assistance for Patent Registration, offers financial support to individuals and legal entities seeking intellectual property rights over their products or processes. It meets a substantial share of patent application costs, attorney fees and other related expenses incurred while the scheme is in force, easing the financial load on innovators and encouraging them to protect their intellectual assets.

Through this support for patent registration, the scheme seeks to spur innovation, safeguard indigenous technologies and improve the competitiveness of Gujarat's MSMEs and individual innovators in domestic and international markets. It recognises the importance of intellectual property to business growth and market differentiation.

- **Registration Process:** - Step 1: Go to the Investor Facilitation Portal (IFP). Select "New Investor Registration" to open the registration form. - Step 2: Complete the Registration Form, then select "Submit". - Step 3: Confirm your E-mail ID through the link delivered to the E-mail ID you registered. - Step 4: Once verification is done, your registration is complete. - **Post-Registration Process:** - Step 1: Go to the Investor Facilitation Portal (IFP) and select "Login". - Step 2: Provide the email address and password you set at registration. - Step 3: Select the "Login" button to enter your account. - Step 4: Enter the required details and upload the mandatory documents concerning your business to finish the application process.

Applications are assessed online against the scheme guidelines to confirm eligibility and completeness. Disbursement of the financial assistance takes place in two stages, each contingent on a patent milestone: publication or notification of the patent, and thereafter the issue of the final patent certificate. The process is therefore linked to official patent events and to the successful acquisition of intellectual property. Approval and release of funds require that all stipulated documents and criteria be met.