<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business, through a new edition of the ICEX Next program of ICEX Spain Export and Investment, will allocate six million euros to support Spanish SMEs and startups in boosting their internationalization through advice and financial aid.</strong></h4> According to a press release from ICEX, this program will initially cover 250 companies, with the possibility of expanding to another 50 depending on demand. A total of six million euros is planned, with the potential to increase by an additional 1.2 million euros. The ICEX Next program is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It is aimed at companies that want to boost the internationalization of their business, entering new foreign markets or consolidating existing ones. Through ICEX Next's advisory services for SMEs, the aim is to help companies define or adapt their international strategy and boost their growth in third-party markets. To this end, ICEX offers SMEs and startups two support mechanisms: the first consists of specialized foreign trade consulting, and the second subsidizes, for two years, the expenses incurred in the business internationalization process, up to a maximum of €24,000. Beneficiary companies will receive a minimum of 30 hours of specialized and personalized in-person and online consulting from an ICEX-certified expert consultant to design, implement, or revise their international business strategy plan. They will also have access to specialized consulting in other areas such as digital transformation, international procurement, international digital strategy, and participation in international tenders. They can also obtain subsidies of up to €24,000 to cover 60% of the expenses of the actions included in their international business strategy plan. These expenses include: market research and studies; international promotion of the brand, products, or services; development of a sales network; acquisition of technological tools and solutions to implement international trade; and the implementation of digital marketing strategies. The requirements to participate in the program include, among others, being a Spanish SME or startup, having its own product or service and brand, not being a foreign commercial or production subsidiary, not being a company in crisis, having a turnover of more than €300,000 in 2024 (not applicable to technology-based startups), having the personnel and material resources to undertake internationalization, and having its own website. Since its inception in 2012, ICEX Next has benefited a total of 4,379 companies. Of these, 34% are in the industrial products and technology sector, 36% in services, 15% in agri-food, and 15% in consumer goods. Over the past six years, 1,951 Spanish companies have benefited from the ICEX Next program. To date, the majority of participating companies have been located in Catalonia (456), the Community of Madrid (319), and Andalusia (225). Since 2019, participating companies have had an average annual revenue of five million euros, with 31% coming from exports. By sector, 32% of participants have been in the industrial products and technology sector, followed by services (37%), agri-food (14%), and consumer goods (17%). These companies had an average of 25 employees at the time they applied to participate in ICEX Next, and of all the beneficiaries during the aforementioned period, the average was 28, with an average of 17 years in operation. This new ICEX Next 2025 call for proposals, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on October 23, has a single registration period: from November 4 to 18. All information and application registration can be found at https://icexnext.es/
