Both institutions commit themselves to promote the internationalisation of Spanish companies

The Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), and the Spanish Association of Business School Representatives (AEEDE), have signed an agreement to promote the internationalisation of Spanish companies. The signing of this agreement was attended by representatives of the member business schools of AEEDE. Some of them included: Susana Rodríguez Vidarte, Dean of La Comercial faculty (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Deusto, Bilbao campus), and Víctor Urcelay, dean of ESTE faculty (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Deusto, San Sebastian campus).

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21 July 2006

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This agreement was signed by the secretary of State for Tourism and Commerce, as ICEX chairman, Pedro Mejía, and the eleven AAEDE directors. In this context, the minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, José Montilla, declared that "the signing of this agreement is a reflection of a shared concern, such as the aim to contribute to the internationalisation of Spanish companies through the investment in human capital, thus taking advantage of the comparative advantages of the public and private sectors, a task that I consider crucial in a context where the current interdependence of our economies has become imperative."

This agreement aims to foster the international initiative of Spanish companies, as well as dialogue between SMEs in their internationalisation process, and the Business Schools where future managers are trained. To achieve these goals, the Schools of Business Administration have committed themselves to producing teaching materials focused on the internationalisation of Spanish companies, which will be later used in class. More specifically, a virtual centre will be created, which will be defined as a fully accessible Internet portal to all those interested, and will include the successful cases of company internationalisation.

Apart from these actions, the agreement also involves the creation of an annual award for the Best Internationalisation Experience, which will be given by a judging panel made up of ICEX and AEEDE members. In order to finance the actions envisaged in this agreement, the ICEX will allocate a budget of 1.1 million euros for next academic year.

In addition, a Monitoring Commission will be set up, which will consist of two representatives from each entity. Its aim will be to assess outcomes, approve work plans, and solve those controversies that may arise in connection with the interpretation or application of the agreement.

AEEDE comprises the main schools of business administration in Spain: Comillas, EADA, EAE, EOI, ESADE, ESTE, ESIC, IE, IESE, San Telmo, and La Comercial of Deusto. Its members include more than 4,000 lecturers, and they train about 15,000 national and 5,000 foreign professionals every year. After the signing of this agreement, they will receive more and better training to successfully face the challenge of working abroad.

This commitment came into force at the moment of its signing, and will be valid until the year 2010.

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