Business, trade and market intelligence: SME Competitiveness Survey and Outlook

Résumé

This project primarily funds ITC’s corporate research function. This function is charged with delivering global public goods in the form of data and analysis that provide 1) business intelligence to beneficiary countries, and 2) key input to the organization’s TRTA interventions and thought leadership structure. 

The research function’s data and analysis offer is structured around two key products. First, the ITC SME Competitiveness Survey (SMECS) is a process and a tool to collect timely and unique data on the factors that underpin firm competitiveness. Second, data collected through SMECS, other targeted surveys, and secondary sources are used to produce the SME Competitiveness Outlook (SMECO), ITC’s annual flagship report, which studies key topics of relevance to small businesses. These two products, together with smaller research products (e.g. data visualizations, blogs, short policy papers, academic papers, inputs into partner organizations’ publications), also funded through this project, are widely disseminated to help decision makers identify obstacles and opportunities for small businesses and to strengthen ITC’s thought leadership on matters of SME competitiveness.