PRIO - Provisional Patent Application

PRIO – Provisional Patent Application offers inventors throughout Austria a straightforward and cost-effective way to secure the priority date of their invention. By submitting online via the e-filing portal, formal hurdles can be reduced and the publication fee of only €74 can be paid quickly. Within the application deadline until 30.05.2030, any private individual, start-up, educational institution, or non-profit organization can upload a complete description of the technical features of their invention. In this way, the "birth date" of the invention is established, allowing further applications worldwide to be filed within twelve months based on this priority date. This procedure provides valuable time for preparing a regular patent application and minimizes the risk of missing important deadlines.

Eligible for funding are, in addition to individuals, companies, founders, cooperatives, foundations, and interest groups who wish to register intellectual property rights quickly and informally. The PRIO application is particularly aimed at students, researchers, and innovative industry players who are under high time pressure but still do not want to forgo a comprehensive disclosure of the technical details of their invention. The prerequisite is a complete documentation of all necessary features as a PDF document, which is submitted online. If an applicant decides within the twelve-month period to upgrade to a regular national patent application, the need for a new application is eliminated. This increases planning security both for the subsequent patent examination and for international protection strategies – in short, the PRIO application simplifies entry into the patent system and promotes the innovation boost in Austria.