Announcement of Approved International Trade Administration Trade Mission

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Following Conditions for Participation Will Be Used for the Mission

Applicants must submit a completed and signed mission application and supplemental application materials, including adequate information on their products and/or services, primary market objectives, and goals for participation that is adequate to allow the Department of Commerce to evaluate their application. If the Department of Commerce receives an incomplete application, the Department of Commerce may either: reject the application, request additional information/clarification, or take the lack of information into account when evaluating the application. If the requisite minimum number of participants is not selected for a particular mission by the recruitment deadline, the mission may be cancelled.

Each applicant must also certify that the products and services it seeks to export through the mission are either produced in the United States, or, if not, are marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at least fifty-one percent U.S. content by value. In the case of a trade association or organization, the applicant must certify that, for each firm or service provider to be represented by the association/organization, the products and/or services the represented firm or service provider seeks to export are either produced in the United States or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at least fifty-one percent U.S. content by value.

A trade association/organization applicant must certify to the above for every company it seeks to represent on the mission. In addition, each applicant must:

• Certify that the products and services that it wishes to market through the mission would be in compliance with U.S. export controls and regulations;
• Certify that it has identified any matter pending before any bureau or office in the Department of Commerce;
• Certify that it has identified any pending litigation (including any administrative proceedings) to which it is a party that involves the Department of Commerce; and
• Sign and submit an agreement that it and its affiliates (1) have not and will not engage in the bribery of foreign officials in connection with a company's/participant's involvement in this mission, and (2) maintain and enforce a policy that prohibits the bribery of foreign officials.

In the case of a trade association/organization, the applicant must certify that each firm or service provider to be represented by the association/organization can make the above certifications.

The Following Selection Criteria Will Be Used for the Mission

Targeted mission participants are U.S. firms, services providers and trade associations/organizations providing or promoting U.S. products and services that have an interest in entering or expanding their business in the mission's destination markets. The following criteria will be evaluated in selecting participants:

• Suitability of the applicant's (or in the case of a trade association/organization, represented firm's or service provider's) products or services to these markets;
• The applicant's (or in the case of a trade association/organization, represented firm's or service provider's) potential for business in the markets, including likelihood of exports resulting from the mission; and
• Consistency of the applicant's (or in the case of a trade association/organization, represented firm's or service provider's) goals and objectives with the stated scope of the mission.

Balance of company size and location may also be considered during the review process.

Referrals from a political party or partisan political group or any information, including on the application, containing references to political contributions or other partisan political activities will be excluded from the application and will not be considered during the selection process. The applicant will be notified of these exclusions. The Department of Commerce will evaluate applications and inform applicants of selection decisions on a rolling basis until the maximum number of participants has been selected.

Definition of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise

For purposes of assessing participation fees, an applicant is a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) if it qualifies as a “small business” under the Small Business Administration's (SBA) size standards ( https://www.sba.gov/document/support--table-size-standards ), which vary by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code. The SBA Size Standards Tool ( https://www.sba.gov/size-standards ) can help you determine the qualifications that apply to your company.

Mission List: (additional information about trade missions can be found at https://www.trade.gov/trade-missions ).

Global Diversity Export Initiative (GDEI) Trade Mission to India, Singapore, and Hong Kong—March 2-8, 2025

Summary

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA), U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (USFCS) is organizing a Global Diversity Export Initiative (GDEI) Trade Mission to India, Singapore, and Hong Kong that will include the Export Markets Providing Opportunities for Women's Economic Rise (EMPOWER) Asia Business Conference in Bengaluru, India, Monday, March 3-Tuesday, March 4, 2025. The mission is focused on expanding export opportunities for U.S. businesses that are founded, led, operated, or owned by members of underserved communities from industries with growing potential in India, Singapore, and Hong Kong, but is open to all export-ready U.S. companies.

All trade mission members will participate in the EMPOWER Asia Business Conference, which will also be open to U.S. companies not participating in the trade mission. On Monday, March 3, the EMPOWER Asia Business Conference will include country briefings, a networking lunch, afternoon workshops and one-on-one meetings with key service providers and U.S. diplomats and/or industry specialists, information and material on trade-related resources, and an evening networking reception. On Tuesday, March 4, the second day of business conference, participants will take apart in plenary session, break-out sessions, meeting with U.S. diplomats from the region, and workshops. On Tuesday afternoon, participants who elect India as one of their trade mission stops will engage in business-to-business (B2B) meetings in Bengaluru, India. Wednesday, March 5, will be a travel day for trade mission participants who elect trade mission stop(s) in Singapore (Thursday, March 6) and/or Hong Kong (Friday, March 7).

Trade mission participants may apply to participate one, two, or three trade mission stops. Each trade mission stop will include one-on-one business appointments with pre-screened potential buyers, agents, distributors and joint-venture partners, and networking events.

Recruitment and consideration will be extended to all export-ready U.S. companies, including small businesses, trade associations, and other exporting organizations that meet the established criteria for participation in the mission. This mission is focused on expanding export opportunities to U.S. small and medium-sized businesses that are founded, led, operated, or owned by leaders from underserved communities with growing potential in India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The mission is horizontal, with various sectors represented, based on best prospects for U.S. companies in the region.

Best prospect sectors *:

• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector and subsectors:

○ cybersecurity

○ smart city infrastructure and technology solutions

○ artificial intelligence markets and cloud computing

• Finance and FinTech
• Healthcare & Biotechnology
• Clean Energy
• Environmental Technology
• Critical and Emerging Technologies
• Aerospace and Defense, and Space

* Other sectors will not be excluded.

Recruitment and consideration will be extended to all export-ready U.S. companies, including small businesses, trade associations and other exporting organizations that meet the established criteria for participation in the mission. In keeping with the U.S. Department of Commerce's Equity Action Plan, ITA seeks to improve outreach to and representation of businesses with owners and/or leaders from underserved communities, including through the Global Diversity Export Initiative of the U.S. Commercial Service. This mission will expand access to export opportunities to U.S. small and medium-sized businesses, including those founded, led, operated, or owned by members of underserved communities from industries with growing potential in India, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

This mission is designed to be responsive to the priorities stated by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and outlined in the Equity Action Plan released in April 2022 which aspires to “harness the talents and strengths of all parts of the country, including women, people of color, and others who are too often left behind” including by “[s]trengthen[ing] small businesses in underserved communities by helping them be successful exporters.”

In line with the Biden-Harris Administration Executive Orders and the National Export Strategy chapter on bolstering export assistance for small businesses and underserved communities, the GDEI has increased awareness and participation of diverse companies in the export ecosystem. With almost 272,000 U.S. small and medium-sized businesses exporting, the limited number of companies from underserved communities participating in international trade is in stark contrast with the total universe of exporters. According to the most recent Census data (2021), from a sample of approximately 146,000 firms that export, 15 percent are women-owned; 6 percent are Hispanic-owned; 6 percent are Veteran-owned; and 1 percent are Black or African American-owned firms. The Department of Commerce, through events such as this mission seeks to continue to scale the next generation of innovation, maintain global competitiveness, and ensure that more diverse businesses benefit from harnessing the potential of exports. Additionally, based on the 2020-2021 Census Bureau Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies and the 2022 Annual Business Survey, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong were not in the top 10 export markets ranked for women-owned, Hispanic American-owned, and Native American-owned small and medium sized-businesses, while India ranked as the 8th top export market for veteran-owned small and medium-sized businesses and the 10th top export market for Black or African American-owned small and medium-sized businesses and Singapore ranked as the 8th top market for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander-owned small and medium-sized businesses, indicating room for growth in the region. The EMPOWER Asia initiative surveying women-owned businesses also ranks India as a top 4 “Desirable” market. Survey participants also emphasized the need for specific knowledge while entering the Asian market, including e-commerce, financing, regulatory compliance, and supply chain resilience. This trade mission in conjunction with the EMPOWER Asia Business conference will help address an urgent demand to have region-specific training combined with networking, consultations, and exposure to new opportunities to unlock these key portals to the South Asia region.

The Minority Business Development Agency finds that “[ex]xporting creates a competitive advantage for all Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs), regardless of home country” and “significant engagement in international sales and trade, leads to stronger businesses, creates new jobs, and in the long-term, contributes to the sustainability of the commercial ecosystems necessary to create thriving communities.”

Website: Please visit our official mission website for more information: https://events.trade.gov/TradeGov/GDEITradeMissiontoIndiaSingaporeandHongKong/.

Proposed Timetable

This timetable allows for clients to take part in business matchmaking across the diverse Asian marketplace by offering scheduled business-to-business meetings in India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. This structure ensures that each post has set days for meetings that allow the clients to explore at least three of their best prospects for business. The final schedule will depend on the availability of host government and business officials, specific goals of mission participants, and ground transportation.