Export PME

The EXPORT PME project, promoted by AIDA CCI, aims primarily to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs in their processes of internationalisation and innovation. Through market diversification and the expansion of the export base, the project seeks to open new export channels for Portuguese small and medium-sized enterprises.

The project was approved under the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), with support from the ERDF, and is focused on promoting knowledge of new foreign markets through various strategic actions, such as participation in international trade fairs, business prospecting missions, and international promotion and marketing initiatives. The project ran from January 2019 to June 2023, with a total eligible cost of €631,122.12, and received financial support from the European Union amounting to €348,694.97.

Main Activities:

1. Workshops on topics such as intercultural communication, negotiation, and business protocol in markets like Germany, France, Poland, and Japan. These also included sessions on maximising participation in international trade fairs and preparing elevator pitches for the US and Japan markets.
2. Prospecting visits to international markets such as Brazil, Japan, Dubai, USA, and Sweden, aimed at meeting and identifying potential partners and facilitators.
3. Company participation in international trade fairs such as Metalmadrid, Mindtech, Subcontratación, MIDEST (Paris and Lyon), and BIEHM, through joint stands in collaboration with other associations.
4. Business missions aligned with international trade fairs in strategic markets such as Germany, Spain, Angola, and France.
5. Importer missions to the Aveiro District, with participants from France, Canada, and the USA, aimed at consolidating SME entry into those markets.

In addition to these actions, Thematic Guides were developed, including the Guide “Key Steps to Success at an International Trade Fair” and the Guide “How to Prepare an Elevator Pitch”, to support SMEs in their internationalisation efforts.