ICEX Next 2023 call for applications now available to internationalize your SME

ICEX España Exportación's Export Initiation and Consolidation Program is now under way. The new call for grant applications has been published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). Through this program, subsidies are granted to start or consolidate the international growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The aim of the ICEX Next Program is to help develop or test the internationalization strategy by analyzing the best destinations for the products or services, and to provide support through an Offline and Online International Business Strategic Plan focused on the selected foreign markets. All of this is done through Specialized Advisory Services provided by national and international consultants and advisers approved by ICEX, over a 24-month process, and with the support of a Financial Grant of up to €24,000.


Who is ICEX Next aimed at?

This Program is aimed at any Spanish SME or Startup that has its own product or service and/or its own brand. In addition, it must have a turnover of more than €300,000, except for technology-based Startups. This Program also offers an opportunity for companies affected by BREXIT and for SMEs that participated in the PIPE program between 1997 and 2007.


Benefits

The main objective is to provide internationalization grants to SMEs. ICEX Next offers Specialized Foreign Trade Advisory Services through a total pool of 30 hours of Specialized and Personalized International Consulting, delivered by third-party, ICEX-approved consultants with extensive experience in business consulting and internationalization, together with a financial grant of up to €24,000 to cover the costs of your company's international growth.


International trade advisory services

30 hours of personalized and specialized advice, which will be used to design the International Business Strategic Plan, whether offline, online, or both. In addition, part of the financial grant under block 2 may be used to obtain ICEX Next specialized consulting services on other key aspects of international trade, such as those focusing on topics related to International Contracting or International Tenders, as well as others focused on the Digital Transformation of your company, so that your expansion abroad is more viable, or to address the new situation of the United Kingdom following BREXIT.


Selection process

Each Selection Process will assess:

• The international Competitiveness of the Product or Service
• The Team
• Financial Capacity
• Business Track Record

In addition, the Internationalization Potential of the company's Business Model will be analyzed with the help of an ICEX-approved consultant.

These Procedures are subject to the principle of competitive award (concurrencia competitiva), as detailed in the Call.


ICEX Next 2023 program requirements

If you are considering applying for this grant, you should pay attention to the necessary requirements. These include, among others:

• Being a Spanish SME.
• Having your own product or service.
• Having your own brand.
• Having your own website.
• Not being a foreign commercial or production subsidiary.
• Not being a company in difficulty.
• Having turnover of more than €300,000 in 2022, a requirement that does not apply to startups.
• Having human and material resources that enable you to undertake the internationalization of your company.


How to apply for ICEX Next grants

First, register on the ICEX website.

Once you have registered, you must complete the following document: ICEX Next Program Application. You will find all the documentation required for the 2023 edition.