LAST REVIEWED: OCTOBER 2026
By Dr Ritchie Lewis Daniel, Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney
Yes, for some businesses. The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO, often referred to as UKIPO) currently provides up to £2,250 including VAT towards a professional IP audit costing £3,000 including VAT. The business pays the remaining £750 including VAT.
There is an important qualification. This is not a general voucher that any UK company can claim. The scheme is delivered through regional business support partners, and an application has to come through the relevant adviser. Funding is assessed and is not guaranteed.
If you already have IP Audit funding, the practical question is usually what you want the audit to achieve. For an engineering or product business, I would normally look beyond the patent register and consider the technology, product roadmap, ownership, designs, branding, confidential know-how and the points at which disclosure or third-party rights could create problems.
What are the current IP Audit funding criteria?
The IPO says the scheme is aimed at SMEs that could benefit from specialist support in managing intellectual property and that are engaged with a business support programme run by one of its delivery partners. The application is submitted to the IPO through a business adviser from that partner.
The regional routes currently listed by the IPO are:
- England: Innovate UK Business Growth
- Wales: Welsh Government
- Scotland: Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, or South of Scotland Enterprise
- Northern Ireland: Invest Northern Ireland.
The IPO has confirmed that applications are assessed and funding is not guaranteed. The current UK-wide position is summarised in the IPO scheme update published by CIPA.
What is the position in England?
In England, the IP Audit scheme is delivered through Innovate UK Business Growth. Its current guidance says the participating business must be receiving intensive growth support from an innovation and growth specialist. The IP Audit is therefore part of that wider support relationship, rather than a standalone application.
There is also a temporary access point to be aware of. As at October 2026, Innovate UK Business Growth says that new requests into its wider service are paused during the current planning cycle, outside existing and committed clients. That includes continued support for relevant businesses entering through Innovate UK grant competitions. The current Innovate UK Business Growth FAQs should be checked before relying on the route.
If you are already working with an Innovate UK Business Growth specialist, ask that person whether an IP Audit is appropriate and whether funding is available. If you are not, the present pause may affect access in England.
What does an IP audit actually look at?
A useful IP audit should answer practical questions about the business rather than simply produce a list of registered rights. What do you own? What might be protectable? What should stay confidential? Are there ownership or disclosure problems? Where could third-party rights matter? Which actions are worth spending money on now?
Depending on the business, the review can include:
- existing patents and patent applications, and new technical ideas that may be patentable
- registered and unregistered designs, particularly where product appearance matters
- trade marks, names and branding
- copyright in drawings, software, photographs, website content and other material
- trade secrets, confidential know-how and the way sensitive technical information is handled
- ownership of IP created by founders, employees, consultants and external designers
- assignments, licences, collaboration terms and other agreements affecting IP
- disclosure risks, including discussions with suppliers, manufacturers, investors and customers
- potential third-party IP issues that deserve a closer look
- a sensible order for further work, taking account of budget and commercial timing.
An audit can highlight where a dedicated patentability, validity or freedom-to-operate investigation is needed. It does not replace that more detailed work.
What about mechanical engineering, hardware and physical products?
This is where my own background is most relevant. I am a mechanical engineer by training and spent more than three years working in-house at Dyson before setting up RIDAN IP. I have also spent around 12 years in private practice.
In a product business, useful IP rarely sits in one neat box. A single product might contain a mechanism worth considering for patent protection, an external form worth registering as a design, a brand worth protecting, drawings protected by copyright, and manufacturing or test know-how that is better kept confidential.
The harder question is usually not whether one of those rights exists. It is which parts of the product give the business a useful commercial advantage, how competitors might work around them, what needs protection before disclosure, and where a limited budget is best spent.
That is also how I tend to approach an audit. The aim is to connect the IP position to the product roadmap and the commercial plan, rather than to recommend filings for their own sake. My in-house experience is useful here because IP decisions often have to compete with engineering, manufacturing, launch and fundraising priorities.
When is an IP audit worth doing?
An audit can be particularly useful when a business is preparing for investment, approaching a product launch, entering a new market, working with new suppliers or development partners, or trying to bring some structure to an IP portfolio that has grown piecemeal.
It can also catch fairly ordinary problems before they become expensive. A founder may assume the company owns work created by a contractor when the contract says otherwise. A product team may be close to public disclosure without having considered patent filing. A business may be paying to maintain rights that no longer support its commercial direction.
If investment is approaching, see also what investors look for in an IP portfolio. Ownership questions are considered separately in who owns the intellectual property?, and the choice between filing and confidentiality is discussed in patent or trade secret?.
Can RIDAN IP carry out a funded IP audit?
Yes. RIDAN IP provides IP audit services for founders, start-ups, spin-outs and SMEs, particularly businesses developing mechanical technology, hardware, consumer products and other engineered products.
I lead the audit myself, so the technical discussion, review and recommendations stay with the same adviser. RIDAN IP is based in Bath and works with businesses in Bristol, across the South West and throughout the UK.
If funding has already been approved, send me a short description of the business, the technology and any deadline set by the scheme. I can then confirm whether the subject matter is a good fit and discuss the scope before you appoint an adviser.
What if my business does not have funding?
A funded audit is only one route. A business may still benefit from an IP review even if the UKIPO scheme is unavailable or a full audit is more than it needs.
For example, the useful first step might be a focused review of one new product, an ownership issue, the IP position ahead of a funding round, or the priorities for a small patent and design portfolio. The scope can be discussed before any substantive work starts.
Frequently asked questions
How much UKIPO IP Audit funding is available?
The current scheme provides up to £2,250 including VAT towards a £3,000 including VAT IP audit. The participating business contributes £750 including VAT.
Who can apply for IP Audit funding?
The IPO says the scheme is for SMEs that could benefit from specialist IP support and are engaged in a business support programme with one of its regional partners. Applications are made through a business adviser and are assessed, so funding is not guaranteed.
What is the route in England?
In England, IP Audit is delivered through Innovate UK Business Growth. The business must be receiving intensive growth support from an innovation and growth specialist. As at October 2026, new requests into the wider Innovate UK Business Growth service are paused outside existing and committed clients, including relevant Innovate UK grant competition participants.
What can an IP audit cover?
An audit can consider patents and potential inventions, designs, trade marks and branding, copyright, trade secrets and confidential know-how, IP ownership, agreements, disclosure risks, third-party rights and priorities for further work.
Can the £2,250 be used to file a patent or trade mark?
No. The current IP Audit funding pays towards the audit itself. Any later patent, design or trade mark filing work is separate.
General information only. This article does not constitute legal advice or confirmation that a business will receive funding. Scheme availability and eligibility can change, so check the current position with the relevant delivery partner before commissioning a funded audit.