SODERCAN awards €2 million in grants to 108 companies for international trade promotion

The Society for the Development of Cantabria (SODERCAN), attached to the Regional Ministry of Industry, Employment, Innovation and Trade, has awarded grants totaling more than €2 million (€2,075,476) to 108 companies in the region to support the implementation of their international trade promotion plans, in which the companies have invested over €4.5 million (€4,695,409).

The aim of this competitive grant scheme is to boost the internationalisation of the regional business fabric and promote Cantabria’s products and services both nationally and internationally, by supporting actions focused on exploring new markets and establishing contacts with potential customers, suppliers, partners, importers, distributors and other companies outside Cantabria.

The Regional Minister for Industry, Employment, Innovation and Trade, Eduardo Arasti, highlighted the strong outcome of the call and expressed his satisfaction with the investment effort made by Cantabrian companies to enhance their competitiveness through access to new national and international markets, as well as with the confidence they place in SODERCAN’s internationalisation support programmes.

Internationalisation Plan

The call for grants for commercial promotion plans forms part of the First Internationalisation Plan of Cantabria. It covers actions carried out between 11 October 2024 and 10 October 2025, and establishes a maximum aid intensity of up to 70% of the total eligible budget, with a maximum of €50,000 per company.

To be eligible for this call, commercial promotion plans must have a minimum eligible budget of €3,000.

Eligible actions must relate to the promotion of the beneficiary’s own products and services, developed at its Cantabria-based facilities, and form part of a commercial promotion plan designed in line with the following areas:

Participation in trade fairs, conferences, business meetings, specialised forums, and the organisation of promotional events or point-of-sale promotion with the company’s own stand, held outside Cantabria.
Visits to trade fairs, conferences, business meetings and specialised sector forums held outside Cantabria, as well as commercial trips, international trade missions and inbound missions.
Market prospecting, international commercial promotion and specialised training expenses.
Certifications, trademark registration and industrial property protection for products and/or services manufactured in Cantabria, owned by the beneficiary, and duly justified as being essential for access to national and international markets and clients.