The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (I.C.E., Istituto nazionale per il Commercio Estero) is the Italian government agency entrusted with the promotion of trade, business opportunities and industrial co-operation between Italian and foreign companies. It supports the internationalisation of Italian firms and their consolidation in foreign markets.

The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade’s activities are financed by public and private funds from : the Ministry of International Trade, which establishes directives and has a supervisory role; the companies, which use its services for advice, information and assistance.

Getting to know the Italian market through the ITALIAN INSTITUTE FOR FOREIGN TRADE information service.

The acquisition of information about the Italian market and business opportunities is the first step foreign companies must take in order to select areas and forms of intervention in Italy. The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, with its network of 104 offices in 80 countries around the world, can provide information and assistance to all those foreign companies that wish to develop business with their Italian counterpart. In particular the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade provides: the Italian economic outlook (an overview of the fundamentals of the Italian economy), information on Italian foreign trade and national trade policies. Another very important task which the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade aims to achieve is to provide the most up-to-date information on Italian laws and regulations to attract foreign investments and give assistance to foreign investors. Another way to get in touch with Italian partners is to consult the specialized website dedicated to the major sectors of Italian production. The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade is therefore working on an official directory of Italian companies, which is accessible both by sector and geographical market of interest. The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade gathers offers and requests coming from foreign companies interested in developing business with Italian partners. All submitted requests and offers are stored in a database that can be accessed by sector and market enabling Italian companies to consider the various proposals. Foreign companies can also find details of trade fairs and exhibitions held in Italy throughout the year.

Getting to know foreign markets through the ITALIAN INSTITUTE FOR FOREIGN TRADE
(for Italian companies).

INFORMATION
Faced with the task of enhancing the presence and the role of the Italian economic and productive system in the global market, the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade has acquired a new tool: SINCE (Italian Information System for Foreign Trade). This information system provides instruments of analysis to Italian SMEs and institutional users to support companies with their decision-making process. This information service is provided in different ways and in various degrees of detail: statistical data, information on the economy and specific sectors, customs, fiscal, financial and currency regulations or even ad hoc market researches are available. In addition to these services, there is a constantly updated collection of over 600 publications dealing with economic trends, country profiles, investment reports, country-risk analysis, monographic research and sectorial publications.

PROMOTION
Through international fairs, missions of exporters, exhibitions, congresses, communications and other initiatives in the Public Promotional Programme, the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade increases business opportunities and supports companies in their entrance into different markets, improves the image of the ’Made in Italy’ brand and promotes industrial co-operation and foreign investments in Italy. The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, therefore, plays the role of an institutional guide for the strategies to be adopted in the approach to foreign markets, meeting the manifold requirements of individual companies.

MULTILATERAL CO-OPERATION
The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade assists Italian companies in activities of international co-operation in order to facilitate access to financing by international organizations and to encourage joint-venture opportunities and industrial and technological partnerships with foreign companies. The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade also promotes industrial co-operation through workshops and bilateral meetings, financial and operative advice and specific seminars for companies operating in the services sector.

TRAINING SERVICES
In the international trade sector, the development of human resources is essential in any long-term strategy for the internationalisation of the Italian economy. Training in the export sector is fundamental to maintain the competitiveness of products in the world markets. The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade’s training activities are based on the following pillars: research, innovation, communication and quality control of training processes, agreements and programmes with Italian Regions and local government for the training of foreigners, students and firms.