Internationalisation Fund

• Co-investment funding between £1k and £9k - total amount of funding available varies in LEP areas
•  Support tools are available to establish the amount of funding SME’s can apply for
• The Fund Administrator will regularly update funding availability for each LEP area, this supports management of expectations for SME’s and reduces the chance of over-committing funding.
• To secure a grant, businesses will need to fund a proportion of the costs themselves. These grants will be accessible for a limited time, and are subject to funds still being available.

Eligible expenditure:
Advice from third party private sector experts to help SMEs prepare for international trade, which may include:- market research, market selection and entry advice, advice on Intellectual Property Rights, cross cultural negotiation support and standards, translation and cultural advice, international trade legal advice, PR support, international social media and search engine optimisation, international marketing, routes to market/agency advice, overseas business environment, and due diligence.

SME participation in Trade Fairs, Trade Missions and independent market development visits may also be eligible.

Ineligible Sectors: Steel, Coal (primary production), Shipbuilding, Synthetic fibres, Transport and related infrastructure, Energy generation, distribution & infrastructure, Primary Agricultural Production, Financial and insurance institutions, Schools/school age educational establishments, Nuclear, Airport Infrastructure, Fisheries, Aquaculture, Tobacco

Ineligible companies include those: likely to transfer operations overseas, with products that could cause offence or embarrassment to the UK Government, offering illegal products, breaching export controls

Ineligible expenditure: production/operational costs, direct subsidies, routine expenditure, capital expenditure, salary/employment costs, purchase of assets

Activities not supported include: DIT’s OMIS Service3, Transport and Logistics, Packaging production, Export insurance, Export documentation services, Sales agent’s commission, Export training leading to qualifications, Warehousing, Assets such as Intellectual Property, standards or accreditations, eCommerce platform registration fees, Production of Sales collateral

London and South East SMEs can attend one of the free virtual events to gain:
• An overview of the Internationalisation Fund and the eligibility criteria
• How they can use the fund to grow their business overseas
• What businesses will need to prepare for the funding application
• How to submit an application and the key deadlines

After the event, participants will be requested to populate an Internationalisation Fund Trade Review (IFTR) form and, if considered eligible and suitable for the fund, will be able to book a meeting with an International Trade Adviser (ITA). The ITA will help them prepare an Export Action Plan (EAP) and complete their funding application.