SME Export Marketing Fund (EMF)

Eligibility
Businesses which are registered in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance (Chapter 310) and fulfill Government's definition of the SMEs, as follows, can apply for grant under the EMF -
- Any manufacturing business which employs fewer than 100 persons in Hong Kong; or
- Any non-manufacturing business which employs fewer than 50 persons in Hong Kong*.

For the purpose of the EMF, "business" refers to any form of trade, commerce, craftsmanship, professional, calling or other activity carried on for the purpose of gain.

* "Number of persons employed" shall include individual proprietors, partners and shareholders actively engaged in the work of the business; and salaried employees of the business, including full-time or part-time salaried personnel directly paid by the business, both permanent and temporary, at the time of submitting applications under the EMF.

SMEs must have substantive business operations in Hong Kong.

Amount of Grant
The maximum cumulative amount of grant that an SME may obtain from the EMF is $80,000. An SME may submit more than one application but only one application is allowed for each export promotion activity.

The maximum amount of grant for each successful application will be equivalent to 50% of the total approved expenditures incurred by the applicant or $30,000, whichever is the less.

Scope
The EMF provides grant to SMEs for their participation in overseas trade fairs/exhibitions and study missions, as well as local trade fairs/exhibitions which are export-oriented.  Such export promotion activities must be organised by experienced and reputable organisations/companies and directly relevant to the business of the applicants.  The form of SMEs’ participation must be exhibitors of the trade fairs/exhibitions or as delegation members of the study missions.

SMEs must participate throughout the whole duration of the export promotion activities and be directly represented by their employers and/or local employees in the name of the applicants.  Participation through any other means including third party commission will not be accepted.  The organiser and any of its related or associated companies are not eligible for applying the EMF in respect of those export promotion activities organised or co-organised by them.

The Trade and Industry Department (TID) reserves at all times the absolute right to determine whether the applicant’s eligibility, the organiser’s reputation and/or experience, the nature of the export promotion activity (including whether the activity is export-oriented), the relevancy of the activity to the business operation of the applicant and the applicant’s form of participation are acceptable under the EMF.

Only the following expenditures incurred by SMEs in relation to their participation in the eligible export promotion activities will be subsidised –

1. Participation fee charged by the organiser/co-organiser (e.g. rental charges for the stand/booth or registration fee of a study mission);
2. Construction fee of the stand/booth;
3. Fee for advertising in the catalogue and/or production of brochure bearing names of the applicant and the concerned activity which are solely for use in the said activity;
4. Traveling expenses of their employers and/or local employees incurred between Hong Kong and the city where the activity has taken place excluding expenses for in-town transportation and routes not directly related to the participation of the concerned activity; and/or
5. Hotel accommodation expenses of their employers and/or local employees incurred during the period of the concerned activity excluding expenses of stay not related to the participation of the concerned activity.

*The TID reserves at all times the absolute right to determine whether the expenditures incurred will be regarded as fundable items.

Application Procedure
An SME should submit the application for grants within 60 calendar days after the completion date of the concerned activity together with the following supporting documents either in person or by post to the TID (SME Export Marketing Fund Unit, 4/F, Trade and Industry Department Tower, 700 Nathan Road, Kowloon).

1. A duly completed application form;
2. A photocopy of the valid Business Registration (BR) Certificate of the applicant;
3. A photocopy of the valid Hong Kong Identity Card or Passport of the person signing the application form for and on behalf of the applicant;
4. Brochures or pamphlets containing details to substantiate the declared information of the export promotion activity and the company profile of the organiser (name of the organiser, activity name and details, date of the activity, etc must be clearly shown);
5. Original and copy of receipt(s) in relation to the payment made by the applicant for the declared expenditures and copy of the relevant invoices/quotations/contracts, etc. The name of the payer on the receipt(s) must be the same as the name of the applicant. Expenditures not paid by the applicant are not eligible for grants under the EMF;
6. Evidence to substantiate the applicant's complete participation of the activity (e.g. delegation list, fair directory with exhibitor's information, photo of booth showing the exhibitor name and booth number, exhibitor badge and/or traveling and accommodation proof of employers/local employees participating in the activity, etc);
7. Evidence showing that representative(s) attending the activity are employers/local employees (e.g. Mandatory Provident Fund records);
8. Certified Extract/Electronic Extract of Information on the Business Register [i.e. Form 1(a) of the BR Office] and/or Annual Return of the Companies Registry (i.e. Form AR1); and
9. A completed Additional Declaration Form if the applicant's BR has more than one branch.

SME Export Marketing Fund Application Forms:

Item	Download Form
Leaflet
Guide to Application
Application Form
Additional Declaration Form : Applicable if the applicant's Business Registration has more than one branch
Checklist of Documents Required for Submitting Applications

Organizers Supporting Documents:

Organizers' & Exhibition Profile
Exhibit Profiles

Enquiries
Please visit the SME Export Marketing Fund Unit website for details
For further enquiries, please contact the SME Export Marketing Fund Unit at -

Declaration
Please note that all exhibitors should apply the fund directly from SME Export Marketing Fund Unit. The Organiser is not responsible for the application; we will only assist exhibitors in providing supporting documents.

The information in this page is only for reference. Please note that the final application details shall only base on the instruction from SME Export Marketing Fund Unit.