The Spanish Chamber, as collaborator of the Minister of Commerce, launched the Mentoring and Support for Internationalization program with the aim of promoting the expansion and consolidation of exporting SMEs and thus facilitating the opening of new markets or improving their position. usual foreign markets.
“In 2022, the foreign sector contributed almost half of Spanish GDP growth, contributing 2.6 percentage points to GDP growth of 5.5%. There are 57,000 companies in Spain that export regularly and another 190,000 that do so intermittently, but we cannot stop there, we still have a long way to go, especially in the world of SMEs,” explains José Luis Bonet, president of the Spanish Chamber. “There has been a lot of progress in recent years “During economic crises, internationalization has become a lifeline for companies that have taken this step. It is important that we make efforts both with public institutions and the business world to intensify the exports of our companies,” says Bonet.
Up to €25,000 to obtain international certifications
The Programme, funded by Next Generation Funds through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, has two action arms. The first, which can now be claimed, “International Certification”. Its aim is to support Spanish companies in obtaining certification for the international marketing of their products or services outside the European Union.
The aid per company is 20,000 euros, with a maximum budget of 25,000 euros and eligible expenses are:
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Certification related consultancy.
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Shipping, return and/or destruction costs of samples.
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Cost of laboratory tests (in Spain or at destination).
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Issuance of certificate/homologation.
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The cost of conducting an audit.
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Renewal/maintenance cost of certificates, but first year certificates will take priority for support.
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Translation and legalization of documents.
In addition, expenses arising from the certification process of already started or completed projects may also be subject to financing, provided that the invoice and payment date of the concepts for which assistance is requested is after January 1, 2023.
“By reducing regulatory risk, the company will be able to access new markets and customers. This is relevant because, although from a geographical perspective Spanish exports have increased in all world markets, this increase has been particularly concentrated in its closest trading partners, so much so that the predominance of the European Union as a target market in total “Exports represent 62.8% of exports. Diversification is recommended to try to distribute the weight of Spanish exports to markets with the greatest potential,” he emphasized. Julián López-ArenasCompetition Director of the Spanish Chamber.
To apply for this assistance, the company must be considered an SME; turnover exceeding one million euros; Having a product, service or own brand and being an exporting company if voluntary certification is requested outside the EU. The Spanish Chamber has activated a website where you can get all the information and ask for help.
Mentoring to help with international expansion
The other branch of the program, whose application period will open in the coming weeks, is “International Mentoring”. In the first stage, the figure of an international mentor is created by encouraging cooperation between large companies and SMEs. Mentors are management profiles of large companies with foreign operations who accompany SMEs in redefining their international strategy. Once they reach the second stage, SMEs will be able to receive assistance in the amount of 28,000 Euros, out of a maximum eligible budget of 35,000 Euros, to implement the actions of the international action plan determined by the mentor in five areas:
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Management training or specialized training of departments related to internationalization.
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Recruitment of additional staff to SME’s international department.
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Specific consultancy for the development of the action plan.
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International promotion, including promotion, dissemination and advertising expenditures in the markets covered by the action plan.
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Commercial implementation, designing the execution of feasibility studies, legal and tax consultancy expenses required for implementation at the destination.
Beneficiary companies should be considered SMEs; become an exporter; Whether it’s your own product, service or brand; and I invoice more than 10 million euros. For SMEs that have participated in public enterprise programs for internationalization at state level, the limit will be one million euros.
The maximum duration of the mentoring service is 2 months, and the SME will not be able to implement the action plan until this phase, in which the mentor and the SME review the company’s internationalization process, is completed; your priority markets and customers; such as current situation, perspectives and needs. Then, the strategy and analysis of possible investments in internationalization actions will be jointly defined, in accordance with the five spending blocks of the program. Finally, the company will present the Action Plan to the mentor and conduct a joint analysis before approval.
On the other hand, companies that want to collaborate as mentors in the program must submit their applications to join the Mentor Catalogue and meet four conditions: be a large company (250 employees or more), have a turnover of more than 50 million Euros, have international activity and have 5 international presence. Bonuses of 15 hours should be offered in the program for management personnel with more than years of experience. The Spanish Chamber will pre-select the beneficiary SME and make the appointments based on the availability of the large company mentor.
Mentoring Program and Internationalization Support will be open until December 31, 2024, and SMEs must apply for the call for help published by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in its electronic headquarters. More information on the web page.