The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) have signed an agreement to promote the use of industrial property rights in research, development, and innovation projects. Among its most significant measures is a 30% discount on certain technological information services for entities involved in CDTI programs and tenders.
What changes with the new agreement between the OEPM and the CDTI?
The agreement creates a collaborative framework to connect innovation funding with the protection of its results. Its aim is to bring industrial property closer to businesses and other stakeholders in the Spanish innovation system.
The agreement was signed on May 24, 2026 and published in the Official State Gazette on June 30, 2026. Its duration will be four years from when it becomes effective, with the possibility of extension for up to four additional years.
Who will be able to benefit from the 30% discount?
The discount is aimed at entities that are beneficiaries of CDTI aid and those awarded innovative public procurement tenders managed by this organization.
The reduction will be applied to the price of the Patent Technology Reports and Technology Monitoring Reports requested by these entities. The agreement refers for its application to Order IET/1186/2015, which establishes the public prices of the OEPM.
What can these reports be used for?
The agreement positions Patent Technology Reports and Technology Watch Reports as support tools for decision-making in aid programs and innovative public procurement actions.
More training and support in industrial property
The discount is just one of the planned measures. The OEPM will collaborate in information sessions and training activities aimed at CDTI staff, the entities benefiting from its programs (with specific reference to NEOTEC), and the organizations affiliated with the PIDI Network.
A mechanism is also planned to resolve queries on industrial property and the joint development of contract models, guides, manuals and protocols that promote knowledge transfer.
For its part, the CDTI will promote the protection and registration of intangible assets generated by the beneficiaries of its programs.
How will the discount be requested?
For the time being, the agreement expressly acknowledges the 30% reduction, but does not detail the procedure for applying it. text published in the BOE It does not indicate what documentation must be submitted, how the status of beneficiary or awardee will be proven, or whether the discount will be applied automatically.
It will be necessary to pay attention to the next updates that the OEPM and/or the CDTI may publish to learn in more detail how this discount will be applied and what steps interested entities should follow.
Industrial property from the beginning of the innovative project
The agreement reinforces a key idea for companies developing technology: financing, protection, and transfer of results should not be managed as isolated processes.
Analyzing the state of the art, assessing patentability, and defining which assets should be protected can help guide investment, collaboration, and commercialization decisions. Discounts facilitate access to technological information tools for certain entities, but their usefulness will depend on their integration into a broader intangible asset management strategy.
At ELZABURU we advise innovative companies and entities on the identification, protection and exploitation of their R&D&I results, as well as on the design of industrial property strategies adapted to each project.
Ruth Sanchez, Partner in the area of Patents from Elzaburu and European Patent Attorney.
