Rossendale based Universal Smart Cards have been awarded £1500 grant from the Enhancing SME’s International Trade Performance ERDF project – allowing them to exhibit at a major international event.
Universal Smart Cards (USC) is a manufacturer and supplier of smart cards, and smart enabled solutions based in Rising Bridge, Lancashire.
The company approached the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce in 2017 looking to identify export sales opportunities through overseas market visits and trade shows. A chance to exhibit at the prestigious Money 2020 show – a Fintech Show in Copenhagen appeared out of the blue. Due to the opportunity being unexpected, it was not budgeted for. International Trade Advisor Stef Heywood immediately identified the ERDF grant as the ideal solution to enable USC to exhibit and launch two exciting new products in the payments and strong authentication markets.
Commenting on the funding support available Commercial Director Paul May said “it is thanks to the insight and support available from The Chamber’s International Business Department that we were able to take part in this must-attend event. The show was a great success and we have several significant opportunities generated from the show which we are looking to close in 2018. I would urge any business considering developing their export markets to talk to Stef in the first instance to discover how the ERDF programme can assist them”.
Stef Heywood said: “We are delighted to support local businesses with their export growth plans. This grant unlocks 50% contribution towards the cost of flights, hotels, exhibiting and many other activities and we want to help more Lancashire companies access this support and visit overseas markets. The grant is only available for another 9 months, so if you’re looking to grow your exports then please give us a call to see how we can make this support work for your business.”
This ERDF funded project provides tailored export support services to companies across the North West including specialist advice, events, activities and financial support towards eligible export development activities. The project complements the Department for International Trade core services and is designed to help firms become better skilled and equipped to access new international markets. The project enables companies to exploit new overseas growth opportunities and boost export performance.
For more information or to apply for support, contact Stef Heywood, International Trade Advisor, East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce. Tel: 01254 356454, s.heywood@chamberelancs.co.uk
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