2 Seas Trade

Programme 2007 - 2013 2 SEAS (FR-UK-BE-NL)

Date of latest update: 2021-04-06

Description

Description (EN):

The 2ST project aims to help SMEs in the 2 Seas area to take the first steps to trading and doing business on a crossborder basis as a way to help them grow, following the recession. Helping small businesses to begin to look beyond their national boundaries, to undertake crossborder trade activities and develop international business collaborations will make a direct contribution to the development of the economy in the 2 Seas area. The project will focus firstly on establishing a crossborder trade network which will enable the project partners to work together to prepare a framework and series of activities and events for delivering direct crossborder trade support for SMEs. A series of trade support actions targeted at SMEs in the partner regions will then be delivered in order to enable the project partners to engage with businesses and support them in taking the first steps to understanding the benefits of international trade and then trading and doing business . Finally, there will be some capitalization on the networks developed (at the level of the partnership and SMEs) in order to encourage outside interest in the 2ST area as a single business destination and highlight the potential of inbound international trade with its businesses.

Achievements (EN):

2 Seas Trade was a three and a half year project, part-funded by the interreg iv a 2 Mers Seas Zeeën programme which aimed to encourage smes to do business in another partner region through providing practical support to companies from England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Many SMEs find that the crossing of borders is a challenging prospect. There are various barriers (both perceived and real) and there are a range of additional requirements when trading internationally as opposed to in familiar markets and contexts. The nine partner organisations involved in the 2 seas trade project worked together to provide a range of market entry support services to help companies do business in Kent, East and West Flanders and the South West of the Netherlands as well as in the Nord-Pas de Calais, France. The project responded to the needs of SMEs in the partner regions ‘earlystage’ support with regards to exporting. 2 seas trade also ran a specific event in Kent in October (2013) on the health and social care supply sector to bring together businesses from england and the netherlands to explore the demographic, health and social care challenges in the partner regions and to meet each other with a view to developing collaborative business activities. the project found that SMEs could benefit from taking steps which included being proactive in seeking advice and information, performing research, looking for contacts and physically taking products and services to the target markets. Deliverables from the 2 seas trade project included: 39 business workshops in which over 500 businesses participated; creating a joint stand space for SMEs at 5 international trade fairs at which 44 companies exhibited products; 15 sector-focused market visits involving more than 300 companies; 199 one-to-one support and advice meetings with smes and 4 ‘doing Business’ guides produced in 3 languages. 2 seas trade also produced an online guide to getting started in international trade and created a trade assessment tool (http://www.2seastrade.eu/ images/uploads/Kent_Export_ guide.pdf).

Website: http://archive.interreg4a-2mers.eu/en/index.html

Expected Results (EN):

What are the key results of the project? At the end of the project, overall results will consist of up to 50 businesses actively trading in the 2ST areas and a much larger number of companies taking the first steps in trading in another EU country than at the start of the project. More Specific results will include: - 40 businesses having exhibited at an international trade fair - 100 companies having participated in a market visit - 375 companies from the 2 Seas Trade partner areas having attended project events and workshops and taking the necessary steps to enter new European markets Are all partners and territories benefitting from the results? Target groups: - SMEs based in the 2 Seas area will benefit from activities delivered by the project to help them develop international links in the 2 Seas area. - Business & Professional Services, Environmental Technology, Creative Industries, Logistics, (Sustainable) Construction, Food & Drink Beneficiaries: Businesses within the 2 Seas area will benefit from increased cross-border business networks, links and activities and opportunities to trade internationally and grow their company. Benefit for territory: Project partners and business support agencies in the 2 Seas area will benefit from cross-border working, sharing expertise and best practice whilst developing solid networks and contacts with partners and organisations in the partner areas. All of the partner territories will benefit equally from the 2ST project which aims to provide support to companies in all of these areas. The general population of the 2 Seas area will benefit from the project as the internationalisation of businesses will lead to job creation and development of the economy in the partner areas. What are the effects / outcomes for the territories involved? Each of the territories involved in the project will benefit from economic growth as a result of the project. Support from the 2 Seas Trade project will allow individual businesses to begin to trade in the partner areas and increase their turnover, thus leading to business growth and potentially higher employment in the partner areas. The project will put in place a series of support initiatives to help businesses trade in different European countries which will lead to increased trade and growth capacity of businesses in the 2 Seas area.

Thematic information

Education and training SME and entrepreneurship

Partners (9)

Lead Partner: Kent County Council

Department: Economic Development

Address: Invicta House, County Hall, County Road, ME14 1XX Maidstone, United Kingdom

Legal status: public

Voka – Kamer van Koophandel West-Vlaanderen

Name: Voka – Kamer van Koophandel West-Vlaanderen

Address: 8800 Kortrijk, Belgium

Legal status: n/a

Kamer van Koophandel Zuidwest-Nederland

Name: Kamer van Koophandel Zuidwest-Nederland

Address: 4337ER Middelburg, Netherlands

Legal status: n/a

Voka – Kamer van Koophandel Oost-Vlaanderen

Name: Voka – Kamer van Koophandel Oost-Vlaanderen

Address: 9000 Gent, Belgium

Legal status: n/a

POM West-Vlaanderen

Name: POM West-Vlaanderen

Address: 8200 Sint-Andries Brugge, Belgium

Legal status: n/a

Canterbury City Council

Name: Canterbury City Council

Address: CT1 1YW Canterbury, United Kingdom

Legal status: n/a

Locate in Kent

Name: Locate in Kent

Address: ME19 4AQ Maidstone, United Kingdom

Legal status: n/a

Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce

Name: Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce

Address: TN24 0LH Ashford, United Kingdom

Legal status: n/a

Business Support Kent CIC

Name: Business Support Kent CIC

Address: ME4 4EE Chatham, United Kingdom

Legal status: n/a

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Voka – Kamer van Koophandel West-Vlaanderen

2 Seas Trade

Partners and Projects info

Kamer van Koophandel Zuidwest-Nederland

2 Seas Trade

Partners and Projects info

Voka – Kamer van Koophandel Oost-Vlaanderen

2 Seas Trade

Partners and Projects info

POM West-Vlaanderen

2 Seas Trade

Partners and Projects info

Kent County Council

2 Seas Trade

Partners and Projects info

Canterbury City Council

2 Seas Trade

Partners and Projects info

Locate in Kent

2 Seas Trade

Partners and Projects info

Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce

2 Seas Trade

Partners and Projects info

Business Support Kent CIC

2 Seas Trade

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): 2 Seas Trade

Project acronym: 2ST

Project start date: 2010-04-01

Project end date: 2013-12-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 496 423.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 748 211.50

Co-financing sources:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2007 - 2013 2 SEAS (FR-UK-BE-NL)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2015-04-01

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

109 / 109 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

722 / 722 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme

Languages

Contact Form

2 Seas Trade

Description

Thematic information

Partners (9)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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