Top Ten Host Market for International Students

What is the eighth largest host market for international students studying in the United States? Vietnam. The current total of more than 15,000 Vietnamese students attending U.S. colleges and universities could be much higher. The Vietnam Education and Training Center (VETEC) seeks to increase the number of education exports to Vietnam by getting more students to enroll in U.S. institutions of higher learning. VETEC was established with a $388,425 MDCP award and administrative and outreach support from the International Trade Administration.

VETEC gets the word out at eye-level. Here is a VETEC banner in Vietnam designed to be easily read by both scooter passengers and pedestrians. It is located in front of a school. Read more about VETEC's project in tradeology.

MDCP Awards: Industry Groups Can Get Up to $300,000 for Foreign Market Development Projects
Each year, ITA makes several financial assistance awards to industry groups to pursue projects that help U.S. firms export and create jobs. Find out more about getting funds to help on our About MDCP page.

When Will the 2013 MDCP Awards Be Announced?
We generally are not in a position to announce awards until September. Eighteen (18) applications were submitted for the 2013 competition.

Debriefing of Unsuccessful Applicants?
Schedule requests to debrief unsuccessful applicants were sent on June 6, 2013.

2013 Competition Is Closed: Applications Were Due February 28
If your industry group missed this year's deadline to compete for MDCP funds, start to prepare your application for the 2014 competition. It should open up in early January 2014. Use the announcement for the 2013 competition just closed as your guide for preparing your 2014 application. If you are not already familiar with the program, start with our About MDCP page. The submission deadline for next yera should be mid- to late-February 2014.

2012 Winners of MDCP Awards
The nine recipients of the 2012 Market Development Cooperator Program awards are:

• American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), New York, NY – $284,300
• The American Institute of Architects (AIA), Washington, D.C. – $299,139
• AMT-The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), McLean, Va. – $290,762
• Evergreen Building Products Association (EBPA), Tacoma, Wa. – $299,063
• Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation (iCET), South Pasadena, CA – $300,000
• Mississippi River Parkway Commission, Madison, Wis. —$240,000
• Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), Cleveland, OH —$165,704
• Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, Inc. (RVIA), Reston, Va. —$300,000
• World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara, Buffalo, NY —$218,771

National Export Initiative and Creating Jobs
It is estimated that a $200,000 increase in exports creates one U.S. job (See study on jobs and exports.) Accordingly, the National Export Initiative is an important effort to stimulate economic growth and broad-based prosperity.

Who from ITA Works with MDCP Award Winners?
In addition to MDCP Director Brad Hess, MDCP award winners will work with a team of ITA professionals who can help them accomplish project goals. You can search for likely ITA team members using the directories on line 4 of Step-by-Step Application Process.

MDCP is designed for non-profits, trade associations, etc. that represent an industry. It is not designed for individual companies. For more information about eligibility for financial assistance programs other than MDCP, visit the eligibility page of grants.gov.