TAKEAWAY: USPTO SPARK Pilot Program will award patent application acceleration certificates to eligible entities that participate in standards development organizations (SDOs).
In January 2026, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the new Standards Participation and Representation Kudos (SPARK) Pilot Program, which is the first initiative implemented by the Standard-Essential Patent (SEP) Working Group, which launched in December 2025. As announced, SPARK is intended to incentivize the participation of U.S. small and medium-sized businesses, universities, and non-profits in standards development organizations (SDOs). Technical standards, in the context of Standard-Essential Patents (SEPs), are agreed-upon technical specifications and protocols, established by SDOs such as European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), IEEE, or 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), that ensure interoperability and compatibility across products, for example in telecommunications technology such as 5G, LTE, or Wi-Fi protocols. Therefore, technical standards, as decided by SDOs, may directly affect the competitive positioning and market access of businesses.
However, the ability for smaller entities to participate in SDOs making the decisions on technical standards may be limited due to costs and other factors. Therefore, smaller organizations may lack adequate resources to consistently participate in SDOs. The SPARK Pilot Program seeks to help offset costs for smaller U.S. organizations to participate in standards development by awarding a limited number of acceleration certificates. The acceleration certificates may be used by such entities to expedite examination of patent applications in the USPTO or appeals before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
As part of the USPTO’s announcement of the SPARK Pilot Program, Director John A. Squires emphasized, “American leadership in standards development is essential to innovation, competitiveness, and national security.” Particular eligibility criteria, application procedures, and terms will be announced when the SPARK Pilot Program is launched.