KIB Newsletter July 2020 : Kent International Business

Online Events to help keep you Exporting!

The Department for International Trade is offering a series of webinars and online sessions to help Kent companies with various export topics:

End of the Transition Period: 6 months to prepare for the UK’s new trading relationship with the EU, 6 July. Click here for more information.
Winning and Delivering Business Overseas, 7-8 July, Click for more information
Managing Overseas Agent and Distributors Virtual Master Class, 8 July, Click for more information
International Marketing Essentials in Times of Change, 17 July, Click for more information
Winning and Delivering Business Overseas Virtual Workshop, 21 July, Click here for more information
Mind Your Export Business: Dealing with Stress and Anxiety for Busy Exporters, 22 July, Click for more information

Kent Invicta Chamber is also running the following online session:

International Trade and Finance for Exporters & Importers, 9 July, Click for more information

Food & Drink Sector Trends in the French Market

The food trends blog from French food & Drink sector experts, Sutralis, is regularly updated with sector news and information from France. They have just published articles on:

Click & Collect
Growth in organic products
Poultry with a lower carbon footprint

Please click here to visit the Sutralis blog.

Image of different food products in circle

Queen’s Awards for Enterprise

Sittingbourne-based Nim’s Fruit Crisps and Priority Freight in Dover were among the 2020 Queen’s Awards winners for International Trade and Innovation.

Why not enter the 2021 edition, to celebrate and share your export success? The closing date is 9 September. Please visit the government website and full details and how to apply.

Global Business Innovation Programme Focus on Marine Robotics to Canada

Innovate UK’s Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP), delivered by Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), is recruiting up to 15 ambitious innovative SMEs with emerging Surface & Underwater Marine Robotics systems & technologies.

During the programme, there will be two Innovation Visits to Canada (subject to travel and other restrictions) taking place in November 2020 and June 2021. Each will consist of tailored site visits, introductions to key players, and exclusive networking opportunities with like-minded Canadian businesses.

Please click here for more information and to register an interest before 3 August.

Innovative Sector Exchange (ISE) Project Update

We’re still working behind the scenes to plan activities for the rest of 2020. Although we’ll need to see what’s possible later in the year in terms of travel, we’re looking at some additional events for Kent’s agri-food businesses and the ISE Innovation Summit with keynote speakers from several global companies.

We’ll keep you posted!

For more information about ISE Project please email Natasha White or visit the project website: www.iseproject.eu

Boost4Health Update

We’re working with Life Science Clusters in 6 European countries and we can use these links connect Kent companies to these networks.

We’ll let you know as soon as we are able to launch our travel grant scheme and event programme to help Kent-based Life Science companies with internationalisation. We’ll be offering a limited number of €500 travel grants as well as some €1,000 ‘travel+‘ vouchers to help companies to kick off an international project.

Feel free to express an interest in the meantime or let us know if you’d like to make use of the B4H network using our main KIB contact details – click here to get in touch.

Working towards recovery? The ‘Kent Export Pathway’ might help you to grow internationally

It’s not been an easy time for anyone but as some things are returning to normality, it might be time to think about how international trade will become part of your growth strategy. The Kent International Business Partners have been working behind the scenes to ensure that support remains available to Kent business that need it and we’ve put together a new guide to exporting. The ‘Kent Export Pathway’ can be viewed on our website by clicking here.

Check out the guide to find out more about topics including:

Getting Export Ready
Market Selection
Routes to Market
Protecting your IP abroad
Legal & Regulatory Issues
Distribution & Shipping
After Sales Activity
Trading with the EU

The guide was produced as part of the EU-funded SME Internationalisation Exchange (SIE) project which you can find out about by clicking here.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for UK businesses trading internationally:

The latest government advice for British businesses which export can be found on the gov.uk website. It features information on current support available from DIT (Department for International Trade), supply chains, support available internationally, financial support and FCO advice on travel. Please click here to visit the gov.uk advice page.