MADRID, 8 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones will allocate 7.2 million euros throughout 2023 to support the internationalization of up to 300 Spanish SMEs and startups through the ICEX Next program, as reported by the agency under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism.
The ICEX Next programme, co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), helps Spanish SMEs or ‘startups’ to internationalize their products or services through personalized advice on foreign trade and financial support of up to 24,000 euros to defray part of the costs of setting up its international business plan.
On the one hand, the ICEX Next program provides 30 hours of advice to the company through an expert who will help it review or implement a strategic plan for international business, both ‘offline’ and ‘online’.
In addition, other specialized consultants will encourage the company to improve its competitiveness in key areas such as digital transformation and international contracting or bidding.
Additionally, if the company has been affected by Brexit in its commercial operations with the United Kingdom, it will be able to access a monitoring or contingency plan that will help it successfully face the new circumstances.
On the other hand, ICEX Next will cover 60% of the expenses of the companies caused by the actions carried out to develop the strategic plan for international business, up to a maximum of 24,000 euros.
Expenses related to prospecting and market studies in other countries are included; the international promotion of the brand, products or services; the development of a commercial network abroad, and the hiring of personnel for the international department of the company.
By participating in this programme, the beneficiary companies also become part of the ICEX Next Club, which has a series of exclusive advantages related to the internationalization of the company.
The conditions that must be met to qualify for this program include being a Spanish SME or startup; have their own product or service that can be marketed internationally and their own brand; not be a commercial or productive subsidiary of a foreign company; have personnel for the internationalization process; own a web page, and have a turnover of more than 300,000 euros, except in the case of technology-based ‘startups’.
The new call for the program, which has just been published in the Official State Gazette (BOE), announces three registration periods for the year 2023. The first of them begins on May 11 and will be open until the end of the month.
In its eleven years of existence, the ICEX Next program has benefited 3,744 companies, of which 37% belong to the industrial products and technology sector; 34%, to services; 16% corresponds to the agri-food sector, and 13%, to consumer goods companies.
