SEA Change

Preparing Central Illinois businesses for Southeast Asia’s expanded role in the global economy.

The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at Bradley University (ITC) has been awarded a U.S. Department of Education BIE grant for our SEA Change project to assist Illinois companies with export development through 2023. The project focuses on Southeast Asia (SEA), due to the region’s current importance as a target for Illinois exports. SEA comprises Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

This grant will allow us to improve our research and counseling capabilities to increase the competitiveness of our companies in the region through:

• access to timely data, sector briefings and in-depth market research;
• participation in seminars and webinar series on countries and opportunities in SEA;
• access to country and sector-specific expertise at the state, federal and international levels;
• training in negotiations and the cultural and business environments of the region;
• participation in customer and partner matchmaking, trade shows and an Illinois trade mission to SEA; and
• financial support for overseas activities through the ISTEP program.

If you are interested in pursuing opportunities through the SEA Change project, or would like to learn more, please contact the Project Director, Jim Ryan, at jryan@bradley.edu.