The Generalitat, through Acció, has identified a total of 458 business opportunities for Catalan companies in more than 100 countries. Of these, 20% derive from the coronavirus crisis, linked to areas such as e-commerce, telemedicine, or distance education. Interested companies can access this information through the International Business Opportunities Recommender, a digital tool that suggests expansion possibilities that best suit each one, according to their size, international experience, and sector.
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According to Acció, the sector that offers the most opportunities is life sciences, which includes health and medical equipment, pharmaceutical industry, and biotechnology. In this sense, it points out that there are expansion possibilities in segments such as medical equipment, solutions for telemedicine, or research and development (R&D) projects for the creation of pharmaceutical products.
In second place are industrial sectors such as machinery and capital goods, industry 4.0, and 3D printing. Acció highlights existing opportunities to offer machinery for the food sector's value chain, from food processing to packaging, as well as solutions for the digital transformation of industry. In fact, the third sector with the most identified possibilities is agri-food, including those that cover agricultural systems, gourmet products, and healthy food.
On the other hand, the main markets detected as priorities for the internationalization of Catalan companies are concentrated in Asia, especially in countries such as India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Also in Europe, with Russia, France, and Germany, and in Africa, with Kenya, Ghana, and Ethiopia.
Expansion of Catalan companies during the pandemic
Acció's Foreign Trade and Investment Offices have supported the internationalization of 740 companies during the first half of 2020, a 13% increase compared to the same period last year. In total, during the first six months, they have accompanied 1,220 international innovation and export projects of products or services to new markets.
An example is the case of Enerbío, which has started operating in Israel with the sale of 25 tons of pellets. Its expansion arose thanks to an Israeli company's search for suppliers in the Catalonia Industry Suppliers directory, a digital platform that brings together 3,000 industrial companies with the aim of boosting their internationalization.