REC and Federation Council competition "Women in Export": applications until February 13 — regions will compete for the best support practices
The acceptance of applications for the Support Leaders contest has started in Russia. Women in Export" is a tool that in practice affects not the "showcase reports", but the quality of the regional export infrastructure. The competition is aimed at regional authorities and Export Support Centers (CPS), that is, those who form the "entrance corridor" for women entrepreneurs to international trade: communications, training, transaction support, services, financial and non-financial measures. Applications can be submitted until February 13.
The key purpose of the competition is to find working models for involving women in exports and scale them up. Moreover, it is not the format of the "event was held" that is important, but the measurable result: an increase in requests, an increase in the number of companies, an increase in contracts and the geography of supplies. This is directly reflected in the logic of the nominations.:
- "Creative engagement" is for regional authorities: non—standard communication strategies are evaluated, and the main KPI is the actual increase in businesswomen's requests for support.
- "Dynamics of export involvement" — for the CPE: the best quantitative and qualitative indicators for the entry of companies headed by women into foreign markets.
- Within the second category, there is a special award "Women's contribution to export": the best SME companies where the head is a woman will be awarded in terms of revenue, number of contracts or breadth of geography.
An important focus is the competition "about the system", and not about individual cases. This follows directly from the position of the REC:
"We strive to make the way to foreign markets accessible to every businesswoman. Our project helps the regions to build an effective support system in industries where women's business is traditionally strong, and to find solutions to overcome the regulatory and cultural difficulties that women face when expanding their export geography," said Veronika Nikishina, CEO of REC.
On the part of the Federation Council, the logic is the same: the competition is seen as a mechanism to "disperse" the regions and consolidate the trend towards increased participation.:
"All-Russian competition "Support Leaders. Women in Export" has become an effective incentive to create an infrastructure to support women's business. The number of participating regions has increased from 41 to 72 over the years, indicating an increased interest in women's business and increased support for it. I really hope that the competition will confirm and strengthen this trend, will contribute to the emergence of new, effective measures and increase the contribution of women exporters to the Russian economy and the development of foreign trade relations," said Galina Karelova, Chairman of the Council of the Eurasian Women's Forum, Senator of the Federation Council.
Why it is important for foreign economic activity "on the ground"
For an exporter (and especially for SMEs), the quality of regional support directly translates into money and time: how quickly can you prepare a package of documents, complete training in a specific market, gain access to trusted partners and logistics, package the product correctly to meet import requirements, and build a financial and contractual scheme. As a result, not only companies are competing, but regional ecosystems are competing.
The region's victory also provides an applied bonus: women exporters who have made the greatest contribution to the performance of the winning regions will be able to study at the SKOLKOVO School of Management under the Exporters 2.0 program.
Where to send applications and questions: w_export@exportcenter.ru
