Funding your Invention: R & D Tax Credits

I am often asked about where to get funding for one's invention. I mention the usual such as triple F (friends, fools and family), business angels and venture capitalists but often overlook one of the most obvious which is R & D credits. This is a very generous deductible allowance against corporation tax which can actually be a cash rebate for companies that are not liable to pay corporation tax.

There are two schemes: one for small and medium enterprises which has existed since 2000 and the other for larger enterprises which has existed since 2002.  According to HMRC's Research and Development Tax Statistics  which was published on 15 Aug 2014 over 100,000 claims have been made for R & D tax relief since he scheme was launched in 2000 and some £9.5 million has been allowed or paid out in that time.

In R & D Tax Credit Statistics which I published in my Patent Box and R & D Credits blog on 25 Aug 2014 I compared the claims for R & D tax credits and the number of patent applications by region in 2013 and found a remarkable correlation.

R & D Tax Credit Claims and UK Patent Applications 2013

Region	Claims for R & D Credit	Patent Applications
South East	3,030	2,822
London	2,715	2,588
East	1,630	1,802
North West	1,595	1,259
West Midlands	1,280	1,180
South West	1,265	1,368
Yorkshire	1,065	984
East Midlands	1,020	742
Scotland	905	900
North East	545	314
Wales	425	539
Northern Ireland	345	236

Further information on R & D tax credits can be obtained from HMRC's website.  Also, I cover developments in tax law relating to IP in my Patent Box and R & D Tax Credit blog. Our chambers are almost unique in that our intellectual property specialists work under the same roof as Atlas Tax Chambers and share the same clerks. We can thus provide comprehensive IP and corporation tax advice to businesses that invest heavily in high technology. Should anyone wish to discuss this article or any of the topics referred to he or she should call us on 020 74404 5252 during office hours or contact our clerks through this form.

USPTO Annual Inventors' Conference - something we should do here

Every year at this time of the year the US Patent and Trademark Office opens its doors to private inventors and puts on a conference for them. I have mentioned this several times before (see "US Patent and Trade Mark Office helps Independent Inventors"  11 Sept 2005). Last year it was cancelled owing to wrangling between the President and Congress over the budget (see "Politicians wrangle at Inventors' Expense" 12 Oct 2013). Happily a conference is taking place this year between the 15 and 16 Aug.

There is an impressive agenda with star speakers one of whom is the serial inventor Woody Norris. Here is a link to talk he gave about two of his inventions.  The attendance fee is US$90 which is just £53.50 at the current rate of exchange.  Independent inventors are taken seriously in America - not mocked or patronized as they are so often elsewhere. We really should do something like this here.

The USPTO also provides a comprehensive portal for inventors resources which include information on patents and trade marks, inventors' assistance, pro bono services and an excellent newsletter.