The Chamber of Spain has opened the application period for the “International Mentoring” aid line through which SMEs will be able to obtain up to 28,000 euros to develop an Internationalization Plan, which they will have previously designed with the help of a mentor from a great company. These grants are part of the “Mentoring and Support for Internationalization” program promoted by the Chamber of Spain, as a collaborator of the Secretary of State for Commerce and financed by the Next Generation Funds through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, to the expansion and consolidation of exporting SMEs.
“In 2022, the foreign sector contributed almost half of the growth of Spanish GDP, with a contribution of 2.6 percentage points on a GDP increase of 5.5%. However, the internationalization of the Spanish economy still has some way to go. Three out of every four companies that start selling abroad abandon a year later. That is why we must increase our export bases,” explains José Luis Bonet, president of the Chamber of Spain. “The challenge of internationalization is to promote and expand individualized advice and training for small and medium-sized companies, with programs like this,” Bonet emphasizes.
The “International Mentoring” helpline is developed in two phases. In the first, collaboration between large companies and SMEs is promoted with the figure of the international mentor. The mentors are managerial profiles of large companies with foreign activity, who accompany the SME in redefining its international strategy. The maximum duration of the mentoring service is 2 months, during which the mentor and SME will review the company's internationalization process, its markets and priority clients, as well as the current situation, perspectives and needs.
In the second phase, the SME will develop the Internationalization Plan that may include actions in the following areas:
Aid for the execution of these actions may reach 28,000 euros, out of a maximum eligible budget of 35,000 euros.
The beneficiary companies must be considered SMEs; be exporters; have your own product, service or brand; and invoice more than 10 million euros. In the case of SMEs that have participated in the ICEX Next and Xpande public programs, the limit will be one million euros. The application for aid can be made through the electronic headquarters of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.
On the other hand, companies that want to be part of the Catalog of Mentors published by the Chamber of Spain must meet four requirements: be a large company (250 workers or more), have a turnover of more than 50 million euros, have international activity, and make available to the program 15-hour bonuses for management personnel with more than 5 years of experience in the international field. You can send your membership request to mentoring@camara.es.
The “Mentoring and Support for Internationalization” program also offers another line of aid of up to 20,000 euros to obtain the necessary certificates to export outside the European Union. Its objective is to support Spanish companies in obtaining certifications for the international marketing of their products or services outside the European Union.
The aid per company is 20,000 euros, on a maximum budget of €25,000, and the eligible expenses are:
“It is about reducing regulatory risk so that the company can access new markets and customers. The weight of the European Union as a destination market represents 62.8% of total Spanish exports and it is advisable to diversify, and thus try to distribute the weight of Spanish exports in the markets with the greatest potential," Julián emphasizes. López-Arenas, Director of Competitiveness of the Chamber of Spain.
In addition, expenses derived from the certification process of projects already started or completed are also susceptible to being financed, provided that the invoice and payment date of the concepts for which aid is requested is after January 1, 2023.
To apply for this aid, the company must be considered an SME; exceed one million euros in turnover; have a product, service or own brand and, in the case of requesting voluntary certification outside the EU, be an exporting company. The Chamber of Spain has enabled a website from which you can obtain all the information and request help: https://mentoringinternacional.camara.es/linea-certificacion-internacional
