Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Reimbursement Scheme

What is the IPR Reimbursement Scheme?

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Reimbursement Scheme is a start-up incentive of the Startup and IT Promotion Cell (SITPC), which sits inside the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa. The scheme first appeared under the Goa Start-up Policy 2017, was carried into the Start-up Policy 2021 with better terms, and continues under the Goa Startup Policy 2025, where the Department of IT lists it among the current Startup Policy 2025 schemes.

The purpose is straightforward. Filing a patent, design or other intellectual property application is expensive well before it produces any revenue, government filing fees, attorney fees, search and prosecution costs, and international filing multiplies all of that. A pre-revenue start-up in Goa often postpones protecting its own invention for exactly that reason. The scheme removes the cost barrier by refunding it.

The reimbursement is administered by the SITPC, which also certifies start-ups in Goa and issues the start-up certificate number that every incentive application depends on.

Who is eligible for the IPR Reimbursement Scheme?

A start-up can apply if:

• The start-up is certified by the Startup and IT Promotion Cell and holds a valid start-up certificate number.
• The IP is created for a technology-based service or product, or uses technology for enhancing the functionality or reach of an existing product or service.
• The applicant has already paid the mandatory government fees and the attorney fees in respect of the IP.
• The bank accounts of the directors of the company are linked to Aadhaar.
• The expenditure was incurred after the notification of the operative start-up policy, falls within its validity, and was paid digitally. Where digital payment was genuinely not possible, the SITPC may still admit the expenditure at its discretion after due diligence.

A start-up is not eligible if:

• It has applied for reimbursement benefits or a grant for the same IP under any other scheme of the Centre or another State Government. The scheme says such an application will be rejected.
• It is claiming a second time for the same IP application. The reimbursement is a one-time payment.
• It does not hold a valid Goa start-up certificate number.
• The IP has no technology basis. A purely non-technical mark or design that does not meet the technology condition falls outside the scheme.

Individuals cannot apply. An inventor working alone, a research student or an academic without a certified start-up entity is outside the scheme. So is an established company that has never been certified by the SITPC.

How much does the IPR Reimbursement Scheme pay?

The Startup and IT Promotion Cell reimburses up to 100% of the cost incurred by the start-up in fees and all other costs associated with the IP application, subject to:

The current scheme text is explicit that the reimbursement applies "if the IP is registered or not registered", which means a start-up that filed in good faith and was refused is not left carrying the whole bill.

This is a material improvement on the original 2017 version of the scheme, which reimbursed only up to 50% of the cost and required that the IP be "registered successfully" and that the applicant "should have already filed or been granted an IP with the concerned authority". Anyone reading an old copy of the Startup Goa Schemes document should be aware that the 50% figure has been superseded.

Two limits sit alongside the caps. The benefit can be availed by a maximum of 200 start-ups each year, and the reimbursement amount is released on a seniority basis or on SITPC recommendation, depending on the budget allotment of the State Government. In other words, being eligible and being paid are two different things in a year where the allocation runs out.

How to apply for the IPR Reimbursement Scheme

1. Get certified as a Goa start-up. Register through the Startup Goa portal at startup.goa.gov.in, which routes to the start-up registration login on goaonline.gov.in. The SITPC issues a start-up certificate number that every incentive application requires.
2. Link the directors' bank accounts to Aadhaar and make sure the start-up's bank account is held in Goa, since the cancelled cheque submitted with the claim must be for a Goa account.
3. Pay the IP costs digitally; government filing fees and attorney fees, and keep every invoice and receipt. Cash payment risks the claim, because only digitally paid expenditure is considered as a matter of course.
4. Assemble the claim documents: the copy of the successful IP registration, the detailed statement of expenses with invoices and receipts from the competent authority and legal counsel, the detailed report, the address proof of the operational office in Goa, and the cancelled cheque.
5. File the application online using the "Apply Now" route on the Startup Incentives page, which opens the incentive application form on goaonline.gov.in. The scheme document also allows the form and documents to be emailed to the cell.
6. Track the decision. Under the 2017 scheme document the cell inspects and verifies the application, scrutinises the expenses, then recommends sanction; a decision was to be notified within 45 days of receipt and the approved amount disbursed within 60 days of approval.

The 2017 document also required the application to be filed within 6 months of incurring the relevant expenditure, though it could be filed at any time in the financial year. Confirm the current window with the SITPC before letting a claim age.

What documents does the cell ask for?

Why IPR reimbursement claims get rejected

• The same IP was funded elsewhere. A grant or reimbursement claimed under a Central or other State scheme for the same IP is an express ground for rejection.
• A repeat claim on one IP application. The benefit is one-time per IP.
• Cash payments for filing or attorney fees with no digital trail, which the cell is not obliged to admit.
• Directors' bank accounts not Aadhaar-linked.
• A non-Goa bank account on the cancelled cheque.
• No technology basis — the IP does not relate to a technology-based product or service, or to enhancing an existing one through technology.
• Budget exhausted for the year, since disbursement depends on the State Government's allotment and the 200-start-up annual limit.

How the IPR scheme fits with Goa's other startup incentives

The SITPC runs a linked set of reimbursements, and a start-up protecting its intellectual property will usually touch more than one:

• Trademark Reimbursement Scheme to 50% of the cost of registering the company name and logo, up to Rs 25,000, for start-ups that have entered the production or service delivery phase. Under the 2025 policy this covers trademark search, government filing fees, attorney fees, maintenance fees and other legal fees, for a maximum of two trademark applications.
• R&D Reimbursement Scheme to 50% of R&D expenses including salaries of PhD and Master's degree holders, up to Rs 5 lakh a year for two years, with the salary component capped at Rs 2 lakh. Preference goes to start-ups that have applied for or obtained a patent.
• Seed Capital Scheme, a one-time grant of up to Rs 10 lakh.
• Reimbursement of Expenses for Startups Operating from Leased or Privately Owned Premises Scheme; internet, software licence and cloud costs up to Rs 1 lakh a quarter.

Trademark costs go to the Trademark scheme, not to this one, so a start-up should route each expense to the scheme that names it.

Where to get help

• Startup and IT Promotion Cell helpline: 1800-233-5060
• Email: spc-dit.goa@gov.in
• Office: IT HUB, 2nd Floor, Altinho, Panaji, Goa 403001, Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 5:30 pm
• Incentive details and application links: startup.goa.gov.in/StartupIncentives
• Policy documents: Goa Startup Policy 2025 and the amended Start-up Policy 2021 are published on startup.goa.gov.in and dit.goa.gov.in

There is no fee to apply. The SITPC decides every claim on the documents, and the scheme states in terms that the benefit is never an entitlement.

How to check your IPR Reimbursement Scheme application status

The Startup and IT Promotion Cell does not publish a public, self-service status tracker for individual IPR reimbursement claims, so checking status is mostly a matter of following up through the channels the cell actually uses.

1. Check the portal first. If the claim was filed through the "Apply Now" link on the Startup Incentives page (startup.goa.gov.in/StartupIncentives), log back in with the same start-up credentials on goaonline.gov.in. Applications filed online usually carry an application or reference number generated at submission, and the dashboard against that login is the first place a status change, such as a query raised or a document sought, would show up.

2. Match the claim to the published timeline. Under the scheme document, a decision on a claim is to be notified within 45 days of the cell receiving a complete application, and an approved amount disbursed within 60 days of approval. If a claim was filed by email rather than through the portal, note the date the SITPC acknowledged receipt (not just the date sent), since the 45-day clock runs from receipt.

3. Call the SITPC helpline on 1800-233-5060 with the start-up certificate number and the date of filing ready. Because there is no online tracker, the helpline and the cell's own staff are the actual source of truth on where a claim stands, whether it is under scrutiny of expenses, referred back for a missing document, or recommended for sanction.

4. Email the cell directly at spc-dit.goa@gov.in if the helpline does not resolve it, quoting the start-up certificate number, the IP application details, and the date of submission. Keep the acknowledgement email as proof of the filing date.

5. Visit in person if the claim has gone quiet. The SITPC office is at IT HUB, 2nd Floor, Altinho, Panaji, Goa 403001, open Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. Because payment beyond eligibility also depends on the 200-start-up annual cap and the State Government's budget allotment for the year, a claim can be eligible and verified yet still wait for disbursal if the year's allocation is tight, a distinction that is easier to get a straight answer on in person or by phone than to infer from a portal screen.

6. Watch for a rejection communication rather than silence. Since the scheme does not describe an appeal process, a start-up that receives a rejection (for example, for a duplicate claim under a Central scheme or a non-digital payment) should treat the SITPC's stated reason as final for that claim and address the underlying issue before filing again for a different, eligible expense.