Are you Eligible?

To be a successful exporter it is essential to plan your entry into the market. UK Trade & Investment provides support to companies to undertake Export Marketing Research; this is managed by The British Chambers of Commerce. Hundreds of companies each year access free, professional and independent advice about researching export markets and receive financial subsidies of up to 50% towards marketing research costs.

What is the purpose of the support?

Are you eligible to apply for this support?

• Support is available for UK companies with fewer than 250 employees, wishing to research specific overseas markets for their own products or services. These must be mainly of UK origin with a proven track record. Trade associations may also apply.
  
  

• For those companies conforming to the European Commission's definition of an SME (as per Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC), this subsidy is exempt from state aid notification rules under the SME block exemption. For those companies which do not fit within the EC's definition of an SME, yet still have less than 250 employees (i.e. those with a turnover greater than €50 million Euros and/or those which are part of a larger group), this grant complies with State Aid rules under the De Minimis Block Exemption Regulation, which allows a company a total of up to 200,000 Euros funding over a rolling three year period. We are obliged to ensure that this subsidy, either on its own or when combined with De Minimis funding from other sources, falls within the €200,000 Euros limit.
   
• We do not anticipate that companies which have been formed for less than two years or employ less than five people will have sufficient resources to benefit from our support.
  
  
• We can only accept applications received directly from eligible companies or trade associations, not those submitted by consultants on their behalf.

Please click here if you need further clarification on company eligibility.

What limitations exist?

Number of studies: Companies may receive support for up to ten in-depth field research projects.

• A maximum of two in-depth field studies may be supported in any twelve month period.
• Two desk research studies can be supported each year in addition to the in-depth field projects.
• Only one in-depth field study may be supported in each country. The exceptions to this rule are the USA, India and China where two projects may be supported.
  

Amount of Support:The maximum amount available overall to an eligible company is £30,000.
No more than £20,000 can be used for projects conducted in the USA, Canada and European Union.

Special Conditions

1. Specific areas where financial support cannot be granted:
   • overseas visits where marketing research is not the primary objective;
   • sales or promotional trips;
   • attendance at trade fairs, exhibitions and conferences and symposia;
   • research conducted wholly or mainly on a group visit or trade mission;
   • other business development activities e.g. building relationships, negotiations with potential partners etc;
   • selection and evaluation of potential partners or distributors;
   • projects for products or services which are not yet available for export.
     
     
2. Support cannot be given for marketing research projects already commissioned, underway or completed. Similarly, support cannot be given for published reports already purchased. Please contact us before entering into any financial commitments.
   
   
3. Only one in-depth field project may be supported at any one time. A satisfactory report must be received and the claim settled before any subsequent application may be approved.
   
   
4. Each field project will be considered for support under one of In-house or Agency terms. Support can be given for a purchased report and a field project.
   
   
5. It would be expected that each in-depth field project would be conducted in one country; exceptions are granted where countries are bordering on each other and share similar characteristics.