Icex España Exportación e Inversiones: Strengthening the Foreign Sector with Flexible Instruments

“The situation of geopolitical and economic uncertainty has not improved much compared to last year, although the export sector has shown good behavior throughout 2022. For this reason, at Icex España Exportación e Inversiones we will continue to bet on strengthening the foreign sector accompanying companies at different stages, with an adaptation of the instruments to make them more flexible and better adjust them to the needs of each company”, details isabel claveroterritorial director of Commerce and Icex in Castilla y León.

In his opinion, the use of Next Generation funds is making it possible to offer more services and programs to companies, which includes activities for thriving sectors, such as those with a high technological content, while taking care of foreign investors in our territory. “In 2023, the training and promotion of talent will also be reinforced through the internationalization programs for entrepreneurs, while our presence is strengthened with the sectors that have traditionally been drivers of the internationalization of Spanish companies,” adds the territorial director of Comercio and Icex in Castilla y León.

Differentiation and its resilience

The entity develops activities related to 2 factors that can facilitate the success of companies in foreign markets, such as their differentiation and their resilience. Regarding the first, it offers programs aimed at publicizing the brand, innovation and technology, such as those of eMarket Services, which is committed to agreements with e-commerce platforms, both multi-product and specialized (Alibaba, RangeMe and Joor, among others). ). Likewise, it is committed to sectors with the greatest technological and innovative content, with programs such as Desafía in Silicon Valley or Israel and with new activities in the aerospace, electric vehicle and foodtech sectors.

On the other hand, to strengthen the resilience of companies, programs aimed at comprehensive advice and financing stand out, such as ICEX Next; to the growth of the company, as Cre100do; and promotional activities to maintain and consolidate the presence of Spanish companies and brands in new international markets, such as fairs, technical conferences and business missions.

scholarships

“There are many pioneering Icex programs in their day that have been consolidated over time, such as the ICEX Scholarships for internationalization, which launched its 47th promotion in 2022 with 280 master’s students, who will carry out their internships in the Network of Economic and Commercial Offices of Spain abroad”, recalls Clavero, which also points to 4 new initiatives. Among them, he mentions ICEX Vives, aimed at the comprehensive training and qualification of university graduates or advanced vocational training technicians through training practices at foreign offices of internationalized Spanish companies or entities.

Diagnosis for SMEs

In addition, Apium It is proposed as a broad project aimed at SMEs, with little or no export experience, to help them learn about their internationalization capacity by preparing a diagnosis of export potential and guide them in the use of public support instruments.

For its part, the Icex-Brexit program is intended to offset the negative effects of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU for companies and the self-employed. The subsidies will be awarded under a direct concession system. And finally, Innova Invest supports foreign investment in R&D, through a line of subsidies aimed at companies with foreign capital that carry out R&D activities in Spain, in such a way as to promote their integration into the productive fabric. and researcher of our country. Integrated into the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, it has an allocation of 10 million euros.