Consultancy Services for an Expert in internationalization for SMEs – BUSINESSMED-BUSINESSMED عودة إلى الفرص

Project Background

EBSOMED is a 4-year project, extended for an additional year (2018-2023), co-financed at 80% by the European Union for a global amount of EUR 6, 25 million. It is co-financed and coordinated by BUSINESSMED (The Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises) in the framework of the EBSOMED consortium which consists of 6 members: GACIC (German-Arab Chamber of Commerce), ASCAME (Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce), ANIMA Investment Network, EUROCHAMBRES (Association of European Chambers of Commerce), CAWTAR (Center of Arab Women for Training and Research).

EBSOMED has been designed to dedicate particular emphasis to reinforcing Business Support Organizations’ management capacity and efficiency through instruments, providing capacity building and training to improve the sophistication of Euro-Mediterranean Private Sector Organizations and help them address existing gaps.

EBSOMED aims at achieving a higher indirect economic leverage by helping BSOs to make a qualitative scaling up in regard to the services they offer to their beneficiaries, while pursuing this successful cross border cooperation dynamic.

The work of the Expert will be executed within the framework of both BUSINESSMED and the EBSOMED project and its outputs will feed into the achievement of their objectives.

About BUSINESSMED

The Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises is a regional organization that gathers Confederations of Employers Organizations from 20 Countries of the Euro- Mediterranean region.

Created in 2002, BUSINESSMED has become the main representative of the private sector in the Euromed region and a privileged platform for multilateral cooperation for the benefit of the employers’ confederations and more than 1’200’000 public and private affiliated companies by promoting foreign direct investments and socio-economic integration in the region.

As one of the main Business support organizations dedicated to multilateral cooperation in the Mediterranean, BUSINESSMED’S mission is to enhance exchanges and strengthen the Mediterranean business ecosystem by reinforcing regional cooperation, social dialogue, and policymaking.

Overall objective of the Thematic Committee

BUSINESSMED, through this Thematic Committee (TC) is committed to support the internationalization of SMEs and helping them access to new market for Euro- Mediterranean’s competitiveness, economic growth and innovation. This TC’s priority is to ensure that enterprises can rely on a business-friendly environment and make the most out of growth markets in and outside the Euro-Mediterranean.

This commission aims at nurturing the actors’ reflection on active policies related to enhancing the SMEs competitiveness and increasing exchanges between the European Union and Mediterranean countries. This will serve in monitoring the different trends and helping the European Commission, Euro Med countries and employers’ organizations to provide SMEs with the needed tools and resources for internationalizations.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Identification of the available pertinent structural indicators
• Explore different internationalization models and analyze the quality and efficiency in the EuroMed countries and especially from the southern /policy context and implications
• Interpret the changes and the trends that are taking place in the EuroMed ecosystem
• Identification of the several factors that could boost business and cooperation opportunities in the EuroMed area
• Conduct surveys among the stakeholders
• Analysis of their progress and perspectives
• Analysis of best practices and new strategies to be replicated
• Producing scenario and projections by 2030, bearing in mind national strategies of the target countries
• Make clear suggestions for the involved parties and the decision makers, to improve the trend and make it converge with the economies in the Region
• Preparation of periodical surveys
• Preparation of a regional factsheet
• Preparation of a regional thematic paper

Timeline

The length of the mission will stretch over 8 months (May 2022 – December 2022) with an expected start in April 2022. The selected expert will be assigned to perform his mission for 9 months with possibility of renewal of the contract. The renewal of the contract will be the subject of an amendment signed by both parties. The appointed advisor will be expected to deliver through remote management (home-based), with the possibility of in presence meetings, upon request of the BUSINESSMED secretariat.

In addition, upon agreement, the Expert will be requested to moderate during specific events related to the topic of research, as well as to feed into the BUSINESSMED’s business talks format by moderating or participating as a guest in the format.

*It will be expected from the expert to prepare his missions ahead of time, desk research including reviewing relevant documentation (Structural indicators, trends, scenario, surveys, thematic paper etc…) and agreeing on relevant meetings for reviewing state of progress.

Outputs and tentative Timeline

• Assessment, conceptualization and work plan: June 2022
• Result of studies, research activities, Interview &/or focus groups with stakeholders: August 2022
• First draft of the report: September 2022
• Final Report: October 2022
• Factsheet (Synthesis of Regional Report): November 2022

Expert profile

• At least a master’s degree in economic sciences or relevant fields, with extensive experience (5 years minimum) in the field of entrepreneurship or Management
• Extensive experience in the thematic area to be covered, including the following: international business development, value chains SMEs strategies, strategic planning and startups
• Good knowledge of the EuroMed entrepreneurial ecosystem
• Solid experience in practical research and knowledge capture, project management
• Solid track record in undertaking national and regional levels surveys
• Experience in conducting track studies at the national and regional levels
• Good analytical and quantitative capacity with experience in survey methodology
• Fluency in written and spoken English and French is required, knowledge of Arabic is an asset
• Experience to design and elaborate prospective studies and scenarios
• Experience to elaborate surveys, reports and policy papers
• Experience in working with different countries from the EuroMed region is an advantage