Posts Tagged ‘national export initiative’

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Backing U.S. Industries to Support U.S. Exports

February 4, 2013

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Chris Higginbotham is a communication specialist with the International Trade Administration’s Office of Public Affairs.

How could $300,000 help your industry increase exports?

The International Trade Administration (ITA) is accepting applications for federal funding for U.S. industries that are looking to increase the business they do overseas. Each year, ITA makes several financial assistance awards, called Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) awards, to industry groups to pursue projects that help U.S. firms export and create jobs.

“Any project we support has to aim to create or sustain U.S. jobs by increasing or sustaining exports,” says MDCP Director Brad Hess. “We’re specifically interested in industries with the capability to execute the projects they’re proposing.”

Nine industry groups earned awards up to $300,000 in 2012. On average from 1997 through 2012, every one dollar awarded has generated $258 in exports.

Industries receiving awards do need a solid business plan and must provide financial backing of their own to qualify for an MDCP award. For every dollar given to an industry by ITA, the industry group must provide two of its own.

The MDCP is not available to private companies; it’s specifically meant to help organizations that represent a large segment of an industry.

“The primary reason we have this program is that we can have an impact on more companies by reaching out to industry groups,” Hess said.

The application period closes on Feb. 28. ITA published a step-by-step guide to applying for an MDCP award.

Not every application earns a financial award, but any American business is welcome to seek help with competing globally throughout the year at one of ITA’s more than 100 offices in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries worldwide. ITA officials can also refer you to resources and respond to technical and informational questions during the MDCP application process.

Even if an application doesn’t earn funding, ITA debriefs all applicants and provides feedback as to why an application was or was not funded.

“It’s to an organization’s benefit to apply even if it doesn’t succeed,” Hess said. “Next year, that organization can apply again and utilize feedback to be really competitive for an award.”

The MDCP awards were created in legislation in 1988. Congress created the program as unique way to “develop, maintain and expand foreign markets for nonagricultural U.S. goods and services.” The first MDCP awards were given in 1993 totaling $2 million.

Visit the MDCP award homepage to learn more about the awards and the application process. If you have any questions about the program, please visit the frequently asked questions page. You can also contact Hess directly or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #MDCPaward.

Posted in Exporting, International Trade Administration | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Under Secretary Sánchez to Speak on Panel for Technology-Based Global Innovation

January 31, 2013

This post contains external links. Please review our external linking policy.

Tyler Braswell is an intern for the International Trade Administration’s Office of Public Affairs. He is studying International Business and attends George Washington University.

The Digital Age is upon us. The effect of digital technology on the global market has been well documented as technology-based companies continue to supply the world with innovative methods and products that increase the quality and efficiency of American lives and businesses.  The creation of jobs due to new technology as well as the continued financial success of technology-based firms has made the promotion of technology-based innovation a top priority for any economy looking to compete internationally.

President Obama’s plan to make high-speed wireless services available to 98% of Americans will make technology-based software and products even more accessible to American consumers. As technology is integrated more deeply into society, the U.S. is working to ensure that these integrations directly translate to domestic economic growth.

On Feb. 4, Francisco Sánchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, will participate in an event hosted by the Information Technology Innovation Foundation (ITIF). The ITIF is a non-partisan think tank whose mission is to help American policymakers better understand the nature of a new innovation-driven economy.

The ITIF discussion panel will focus on the increase in global competition to host technology-based firms and the benefits that hosting such companies can have on a country’s economy. The event will also feature information on how countries attract technology-based firms and what the U.S. has done to improve its appeal to those firms. The Under Secretary will be joined on the panel by the general counsels for NCR and Qualcomm.

Sánchez and the panel will answer questions from industry participants concerning the advantages currently offered to firms that choose to do business within the United States.

The Under Secretary will also provide information on certain policies the U.S. has enacted to promote technology-based industry within the U.S. as well as trade agreements designed to benefit American companies.

The U.S. is actively advancing trade agreements and initiatives to broaden market access. Technology-based firms will be among the primary beneficiaries. Trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will help technology-based firms by expanding access to key Asian markets and removing bans on border crossing data-flows.

American leaders—both in government and business—appreciate that supporting technology-based firms is necessary to achieve President Obama’s goal of increasing our exports and re-balancing our economy, which are embedded in the National Export Initiative. This event will reaffirm the International Trade Administration’s commitment to increase exports, further the global expansion of domestic businesses, and attract new technology-based industries to the U.S. economy.

Posted in Competitiveness, International Trade Administration | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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How Has Exporting Helped Your Business?

March 12, 2012

President Obama announced the National Export Initiative (NEI) two years ago, with the goal of doubling exports by 2014. Here is a timeline of those first two years.

While it is an ambitious goal to double exports within five years, there are many individual successes of companies finding new markets, new buyers and new opportunities that will help realize this goal.

For example, there’s the exporter of routers who sells in 80 countries, or the aircraft manufacturer who lands a large order in Japan. Together these successes will help increase our national exports.

Here at the International Trade Administration, we’ve helped to coordinate 77 trade missions to 38 countries with 1,123 companies participating. In case you didn’t know, that’s a lot. A whole lot. These companies have reported that they’ve secured more than $1.25 billion so far in export sales as a direct result of these trade missions.

The success of the NEI depends on your successes. We invite you to share your export success stories with us. How has exporting helped you and your business?

Posted in Exporting, International Trade Administration, National Export Initiative, Success Story, Trade Missions | Tagged , | 3 Comments »

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Got suggestions for the National Export Initiative? We want them!

July 2, 2010

Grace Hu is a Presidential Management Fellow with the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee Secretariat. 

Update (7/22/10): We truly appreciate all of the comments offered here, however, to ensure your comments and suggestions are considered, please submit them through the process detailed in the Federal Register notice.

Do you have ideas for improving government programs to make it easier to export?  Have you encountered challenges in exporting?  If so, we want to hear from you.  The Administration is embarking on a five-year National Export Initiative (NEI) to double U.S. exports.  As the Federal government puts together a plan for implementing the NEI, we are looking for your insights and input.  That is why the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) is soliciting comments from June 30 to July 26 through a Federal Register notice .

Specifically, we are interested in input from exporters, other private businesses, trade associations, academia, non-governmental organizations, and other interested parties regarding:

  1. identification of Federal government programs or regulations that impede the ability of U.S. companies to export;
  2. effective foreign trade promotion programs and activities that could inform U.S. Federal government program development;
  3. identification of the most (or least) effective Federal government programs that support U.S. exports, including specific experiences with such Federal government programs;
  4. steps that the Federal government could take to improve its programs to support U.S. exports; and
  5. more generally, how the Federal government could better help U.S. businesses export. 

 Your input will help the TPCC agencies develop the NEI plan called for by the President in Executive Order 13534. If you are an exporter, business interested in exporting, or care about helping double exports over the next five years, please take a few minutes before the July 26, 2010 deadline to submit comments in response to the NEI Federal Register notice.   We’re waiting to hear from you, and thank you in advance for your help.

About the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee

The TPCC is an interagency committee that coordinates the development of U.S. Government trade promotion policies and programs.  The TPCC is composed of representatives from 20 Federal agencies and chaired by the Secretary of Commerce.  Other agencies and offices represented include the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the Small Business Administration, the Departments of Agriculture, State,  Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, Interior, Labor, Transportation and the Treasury, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Management and Budget, the National Security Council, the National Economic Council, and the Council of Economic Advisors.

Posted in National Export Initiative | Tagged , , | 33 Comments »

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