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A Report on the Review of the SME Funding Schemes
Chapter 3
SME Export Marketing Fund
3.1 Launched in mid December 2001, the EMF encourages SMEs to expand businesses through participating in export promotion activities. The scheme covers activities such as trade fairs, exhibitions and study missions held outside Hong Kong, as well as local trade fairs and exhibitions which are export-oriented. For each successful application, the maximum amount of grant would be 50% of SME's total expenditure on fundable items of the approved export promotion activity, or $10,000 (whichever is the less). An SME may only receive the grant once under the EMF, even if the amount of grant approved is less than $10,000.
3.2 As at end October 2002, about 2 800 applications were approved, and the amount of grant involved was about $28 million. Of these 2 800 or so SMEs, 25% of them have not participated in export promotion activities before. Detailed statistics are at Annex 2 (pdf format).
Recommendation
3.3 The Committee is of the view that the EMF is conducive to encouraging SMEs to explore markets outside Hong Kong. In view of the present economic climate, the Committee considers that the Government should make greater use of the EMF to further encourage SMEs to develop overseas markets. The Committee has therefore come up with the following recommendation:
| Recommendation: |
To increase the maximum amount of grant per SME from $10,000 to $40,000. There should be no limit on the number of export promotion activities an SME may apply for EMF, as long as the ceiling of $40,000 is not exceeded. The maximum amount of grant for each successful application would be $20,000 or 50% of the total expenditure on fundable items of the approved export promotion activity (whichever is the less). |
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The Committee considers that this recommendation would encourage SMEs to further expand markets, and make continuous efforts to participate in export promotion activities, with a view to building a long-term customer network. |
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The Committee recommends that the revised ceiling should also apply to SMEs which have already received grant under the EMF prior to the revised ceiling coming into effect. | |
Chapter 4 : SME Training Fund
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