The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ITA bring you two opportunities to help Understand the Homeland Security Innovation Ecosystem. This free two-part webinar series focuses on the DHS Science & Technology’s efforts to spur innovation and address both domestic and international capability gaps for first responders. Part I, Keeping Pace with Innovation: The Silicon Valley Innovation Program is on November 18 and Part II,  DHS Science & Technology and the International Forum to Advance First Responder Innovation is on November 30.

Participants of this series will:

• Learn how DHS partners with innovators to co-invest in and accelerate technology transition-to-market;
• Find out how DHS collaborates on R&D initiatives and solutions and educates first responders about available technology; and
• Understand how Commerce’s network of experienced trade professionals assists U.S. firms in expanding into new foreign markets.

Register HERE.

Does your company provide a solution that can help mitigate or recover from man-made or natural disasters? Would you like to have your product or service introduced to potential foreign buyers or partners in 30+ countries? 

Join the U.S. Commercial Service for a unique educational and business development opportunity for U.S. firms seeking to export their disaster preparation and recovery solutions. This multi-month, virtual program with the U.S. Commercial Service includes:  

• Business to Business Matchmaking: Meetings with pre-screened foreign buyers from around the globe, including governmental procurement officials, distributors, resellers, and industry multipliers. 
• Business to Government Sessions: Virtual one-on-one meetings with U.S. Embassy industry experts who will provide strategic intelligence and first-hand knowledge about market developments in-country. 
• Market Briefings and Educational Webinars: Briefings that highlight relevant opportunities and market entry strategies. 

Register until December 15, 2021.  More info HERE

This virtual event will consist of 3 separate country programs. Each event will feature green energy opportunities for U.S. companies in these countries. If you are a U.S. green energy technologies manufacturer, project developer, or EPC contractor and would like to be a speaker or attendee, or if you would like information on this program, please contact  Serdar.Cetinkaya@trade.gov and Yaprak.Cakilcioglu@trade.gov . Please note that companies will be selected on their merits and suitability. 

• December 6: Green Energy Opportunities in Armenia
• December 8: Green Energy Opportunities in Azerbaijan
• December 9: Green Energy Opportunities in Georgia

Saudi Arabia has experienced significant growth in opportunities in the environmental sector, particularly in water and wastewater, solid waste, and recycling. This provides ample opportunities for U.S. companies, as Saudi Arabia has demonstrated favorable reception to U.S. products, services and technologies. This virtual matchmaking program will connect U.S. exporters with growing opportunities in Saudi’s environmental technologies sector. The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia has invited international buyers and decision makers who will participate and be available for meetings on the virtual platform.  

Solutions being sought include: -Integrated Waste Management Solutions -Smart Tech/Internet of Things and Automation Solutions -Water and Wastewater Treatment Solutions -Energy Efficient Desalination Technologies -Industrial & Hazardous Waste Treatment -Waste to Energy

COST: $250. Register HERE. Questions? Contact Haisum.Shah@trade.gov.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, in partnership with POWERGEN International and DISTRIBUTECH International, is recruiting U.S. Embassy-vetted public and private sector delegations to attend the upcoming conference, taking place January 26-28, 2022 in Dallas.

Countries currently recruiting international buyers to attend POWERGEN & DISTRIBUTECH include Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand Turkey, and Ukraine. Stay tuned for additional countries being added weekly! U.S. exhibitors and attendees can meet with these international buyers, as well as Energy Specialists from U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world to learn about market entry and expansion strategies in key markets. Learn more about exhibiting at or attending PowerGen HERE and Distributech HERE!  Contact Shannon.Fraser@trade.gov for details on this event.

Join the largest U.S. government-led trade mission and business development forum going to Dubai, UAE, March 6-8, 2022, organized by the U.S. Commercial Service. Trade Winds features meetings with over 20 U.S. commercial diplomats from Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. The event includes a conference program as well as networking and optional business-to-business matchmaking meetings in the UAE as well as Algeria, Israel, Morocco, Qatar (March 2-3) and Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Kuwait (March 9-10). Learn more and register HERE.

The California STEP program will support up to eight eligible California small businesses to participate at the Japan Smart Energy Week trade show from March 16-18, 2022. The conference, one of the world's largest-scale exhibitions focused on renewable energy, consists of the following exhibition pavilions and allows participating businesses to exhibit at a location that best fits their business needs:

• Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
• Solar Cells and Photovoltaic Technology
• Smart Grids
• Rechargeable batteries
• Wind energy
• Biomass power and thermal power
• Resource circulation
• Decarbonization

Meet buyers, showcase your products, and conduct active business meetings with industry leaders and visitors from around the world – in-person or virtually. For more information about the trade show, please visit: https://www.wsew.jp/en-gb.html. California companies interested in exhibiting/attending the conference and applying for a $5,000 cost reimbursement from California STEP should contact Shannon.Fraser@trade.gov and Henan.Li@gobiz.ca.gov. Please note that STEP applications are due by November 30, 2021.

The International Trade Administration is organizing a trade mission to Central America (March 27-April 1, 2022) that will include our Business Opportunities in Central America Conference in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The mission is open to U.S. companies from a cross section of industries with growing potential in Central America. The  best prospect industry sectors include: Agriculture, Automotive Parts /Accessories/Service Equipment, Construction Equipment and Services, Cosmetics, Cybersecurity, Design and Construction, Disposable Medical Supplies, Education and Training, Energy/Solar Energy Products, Franchising, Information and Communications Technology, Medical Equipment, Packaging Equipment & Machinery, Plastics, Safety & Security, Travel and Tourism. More info HERE.

This program features one-on-one business appointments and networking events with pre-screened potential buyers, agents, distributors, and joint venture partners as well as briefings and roundtables with the legal and business community on local business practices and opportunities.  Featured participants from Chile, Peru and Uruguay include:

• Peruvian Digital Government Secretariat (SEGDI)
• Peruvian Registry of Identification and Civil Status (RENIEC)
• Superintendency of Banking, Insurance and Private Pension System (SBS)
• Secure Soft S.A.C
• Chilean Government´s Computer Security Incident Response Team, CSIRT(www.csirt.gob.cl)
• Chilean Registry of Identification and Civil Status (www.registrocivil.cl)
• Financial Market Commission, CMF (www.cmfchile.cl)
• Investigation Police, PDI (www.pdichile.cl), Chilean Police (www.carabineros.cl), and Prosecutor Office (www.fiscalidechile.cl)
• Uruguay´s Chamber of Information and Communication Technologies CUTI
• The Uruguay-US Chamber of Commerce AMCHAM

For more information and to register, visit HERE.

Hosted in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Trade Americas – Business Opportunities in the South America Conference will focus on region-specific sessions, market entry strategies, export compliance, legal, logistics, disaster resilience and recovery, and trade financing resources. You will also be able to have prearranged one-on-one consultations with U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service Commercial Officers and/or Department of State economic/commercial officers based in the region.

 Learn more HERE.

Don't Be Fined for Misuse of Made in the USA Labeling

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized a new rule that will crack down on marketers who make false claims that their products are Made in the USA. Under the rule, marketers making unqualified Made in USA claims on labels should be able to prove that their products are “all or virtually all” made in the United States. The FTC may seek civil penalties of up to $43,280 per violation of the rule. Make sure that your products are in compliance and avoid costly fees. Review the Made in USA Rule here.

Homeland Security: Open Solicitations for (1) Wearables & (2) Cooling Solutions

1) The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Silicon Valley Innovation Program has opened the Human Performance and Resiliency Solicitation for solutions in the areas of personal resilience, wellness promotion, and tools to identify and resolve issues before reaching crisis levels. Important technologies include:

• Biometric Wearables: biometric device(s) that can alert the user to initiate mitigating action.
• Sleep/Recovery Enhancement: solutions that evaluate sleep quality, recovery or restoration
• AI-enabled Mobile App: app that compiles information from various wearables to generate outputs describing factors contributing to overall wellness.

Startups are encouraged to apply.  Submissions are due January 13 and April 13, 2022 by 12pm Pacific Time. More info HERE.

2) DHS also recently announced the The Cooling Solutions Challenge designed to spur groundbreaking cooling solutions to counter extreme heat impacting communities across the country.  Extreme heat is a silent killer and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the nation’s leading cause of weather-related deaths. During and after a natural disaster power outages resulting in a loss of air-conditioning can have serious consequences for those at risk of heat-related illness and vulnerable populations. Deadline is December 7, 2021.  More info here: DHS’s prize competition page.

New Trade Finance Videos

Attractive payment terms can be the deciding factor in winning an export deal. Among the trade finance options, here are three to consider. Watch our new videos to learn how they work, advantages and other considerations:

• Cash-in-advance - the most secure method of payment, but not the most attractive for foreign buyers
• Forfaiting - exporters can obtain cash by selling their medium and long-term foreign accounts receivable at a discount to a forfaiter
• Documentary Collections - an approach used for merchandise and commodity exports, generally with an established and ongoing customer

SBA provides export loans to help businesses achieve sales through exports and can help you respond to opportunities and challenges associated with trade, such as COVID-19. The loans are available to U.S. small businesses that export directly overseas, or those that export indirectly by selling to a customer that then exports their products.

EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan) has been extended to December 31, 2021. All eligible small businesses and nonprofits are encouraged to apply.

Export Express - provides access to capital quickly for businesses that need financing up to $500,000. Apply for a line of credit or term note prior to finalizing an export sale or while pursuing opportunities overseas, such as identifying a new overseas customer should an export sale be lost due to COVID-19.

Export Working Capital - enables small businesses to fulfill export orders and finance international sales by providing revolving lines of credit or transaction-based financing of up to $5 million. Use a loan to obtain or retain overseas customers by offering attractive payment terms.

International Trade - helps small businesses engaged in international trade to retool or expand to better compete and react to changing business conditions. Helps exporting firms to expand their sales to new markets or to re-shore operations back to the U.S.

EXIM's Bridge Financing Program: International customers need several billion dollars in temporary, short-term bridge financing to enable them to acquire U.S. goods and services. This program enables exporters to move forward through short-term financing of these U.S. exports until private sector liquidity returns.

EXIM's Pre-Delivery / Pre-Export Financing Program:  U.S. manufacturers of large-scale items often rely on partial, advance payments, or "progress delivery payments," during production. However, their international customers may be unable to finance pre-export payments due to temporary liquidity problems caused by COVID-19. 

EXIM's Supply Chain Financing Guarantee Program: enables suppliers to sell their accounts receivable to a lender to obtain early payment of invoices at a discounted rate, while EXIM guarantees the lender's purchase of the accounts receivable. 

EXIM's Working Capital Guarantee Program: facilitates loans from commercial lenders.  EXIM announced it will expand program eligibility to cover all inventory that could potentially be exported, reduce the program's fee structure, and temporarily increase the guarantee level.

Contact your local EXIM representative HERE.

• How To Export videos to learn how to get started
• Export Mechanics Training Videos for more in-depth instructions
• Country Commercial Guides for 125 international markets 
• Export Market Destination country specific videos 
• Trade Finance Guide for trade financing practices and government assistance
• Customs Database Lookup Tool
• Guide to Doing Business with Multilateral Development Banks
• Bureau of Industry & Security's Online Training Room
• Report a Country Trade Barrier or file a country unfair business practice compliant
• Protect Intellectual Property Rights and report violations to National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center
• 2021 Edition: USPTO's China IPR Toolkit
• Grow your eCommerce sales channel with resources available through our eCommerce Innovation Lab