International Expansion Consulting: Taking Your Company Into Foreign Markets

Yes. ICEX Next, ACCIÓ and Xpande are compatible with each other as long as they fund different costs or different periods. An SME based in Catalonia can combine ICEX Next (€24,000) + ACCIÓ Promoción Internacional (€30,000) + Xpande Digital (€5,000) for a total of more than €54,000 in grants. Companies outside Catalonia can combine ICEX Next + Xpande + Xpande Digital for roughly €36,000. Tecnocim designs the combination strategy to maximise the return without breaking the cumulation rules.

A professional international expansion plan covers: analysis of the export capacity of the company, selection of target markets based on data (market size, competition, tariff barriers), the entry strategy (direct export, sales agent, distributor, subsidiary), adaptation of the product or service to local rules and tastes, an international marketing plan (multilingual website, trade fairs, trade missions), international pricing and logistics, and a financial plan with a cash forecast. ICEX and ACCIÓ require this plan before they will award the grant.

ICEX Next requires the company to be an SME with a distinctive product or service of its own, minimum turnover of €300,000 a year, and exports that do not exceed 30% of total turnover. The company must also be up to date with tax obligations and with Spanish Social Security, and must have a viable international expansion plan. ICEX covers 60% of eligible costs (market studies, scouting trips, trade fairs, marketing) up to a maximum of €24,000. The 2025 call had a budget of €6M.

The most common eligible costs are: market studies and international feasibility analysis, participation in international trade fairs (stand, build and travel), trade missions (scouting trips to target markets), international marketing (multilingual website, catalogues, promotional material), hiring an export manager or dedicated export staff, product approval and certification for foreign markets, and initial international logistics costs. Each programme has its own list of eligible costs; Tecnocim checks eligibility before filing the application.

There are two timelines. Processing the grants: ICEX Next decides in 2–4 months, ACCIÓ in 3–6 months and Xpande in 1–3 months. Running the expansion plan: usually 12–18 months from the initial review to being established in the first market. The grants cover costs incurred during the programme period, generally 12–18 months. It is advisable to apply before incurring the costs, because most programmes require the costs to be dated after the application.