ExporTIC Program Quality Venezuelan technology for the world

The launch of the first national program for promotion of exports of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector: ExporTIC (from the Spanish initials for ICT) was held today in the Antonio José de Sucre Auditorium in the headquarters of the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) in Caracas.

Financed by CAF and Bancoex, the initiative seeks to stimulate and strengthen the internationalization of the SMEs and cooperatives that develop ICT products by defining custom-designed strategies for each beneficiary. The program is also backed by the Venezuelan Council for Investment Promotion (CONAPRI), the ministries of Light Industry and Commerce (MILCO), and Science and Technology (MCT), together with the Venezuela Competes Network. The executing agency of ExporTIC will be Mérida Technology Park Corporation (CPTM).

ExporTIC is inspired by Exporte, a Colombian government program which started operations in December 2000 with the objective of promoting producers of knowledge-intensive goods in applied engineering, software and biotechnology through the efficient design, adaptation and penetration of their products and services into selected international markets.

CAF has supported this project in the framework of its Andean Competitiveness Program, (PAC), which offers technical assistance to projects that generate competitive advantages in the region in areas with great potential impact and value for the Andean countries, such as information technology.

In mid-2003, the results of the Exporte initiative were presented to various countries. Venezuela decided to adopt this concept, emphasizing the field of information technology, which led to the formation of ExporTIC.

The ICT Export Program, ExporTIC, integrates training, evaluation, advice and start-up of export actions to be developed in 16 months. With an investment of US$350,000, the program will help Venezuelan products meet international quality standards.

SMEs or cooperatives that wish to join the ExporTIC network and participate in the program must register on the http://www.ExporTIC.org website, where they will find all the information they need. In the first stage, over 200 SMEs and cooperatives are expected to register, providing detailed information on the universe of projects that the ICT companies in the country are developing.

After the national event, certified consultants will carry out an identification process of 60 companies in order to select 30 beneficiaries based on their projects and export potential. These companies will be offered training in foreign trade and related areas, specialized advice on the design of their business plans, and the tools needed for trading their products and services on international markets. The experts will carry out exhaustive research in commercial intelligence (benchmarking) based on each business plan.

In relation to the companies not selected, Program General Manager Luis A. Chavez explained that “ExporTIC has a systematic approach and the companies and cooperatives that are not initially selected may participate in later stages of the program."