Secretary Locke presented the award after delivering the luncheon address at the annual conference of the International District Energy Association (IDEA) on June 30. Evapco's activity in China is part of an ongoing MDCP project that IDEA is pursuing in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration.

MDCP Supports the National Export Initiative.
On March 9th, ITA issued a press release, detailing ways in which MDCP supports President Obama’s National Export Initiative.

Secretary Locke Relates Exports to Job Growth.
In a January 15 speech delivered in Anchorage, Secretary Locke noted that every $180,000 increase in exports creates one U.S. job.

Applications Are Due April 19
The 2010 MDCP competition opened March 5. Applications are due April 19. If you have any interest in pursuing a project, email the relevant industry specialist and your local ITA office right away. Contacting us indicates your potential as a future partner of MDCP. See "How to Apply" below for additional information.

What the March 5 Publication Date Means
A short notice announcing the 2010 MDCP competition was published on March 5 in the Federal Register. The federalfunding opportunity notice (FFO) describes the competition in greater detail. This FFO is published as well on grants.gov. The March 5 publication marks the beginning of the competition period. During the competition period, ITA officials can respond to information requests from applicants but are not allowed to make suggestions, brainstorm, or serve as a sounding board.

Public Meeting March 16
A meeting to discuss the 2010 MDCP competition is scheduled to begin in room 6029 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on March 16 at the Herbert C. Hoover Building at 1401 Constitution Ave., N.W. in Washington, D.C. All are welcome to attend. Those who wish to participate in person should allow 15 minutes to make it through security and be escorted to room 6029. Interested parties can also participate via teleconference by dialing 1-800-369-1883. The access code is BHESS.

Program Funding Could Increase Substantially this Year
Congress is considering legislation that would increase the available MDCP funding several fold. Consequentially, we increased the per-award limit from $400,000 to $500,000.

Five New MDCP Awards Were Announced in October
On October 26, 2009, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke announced five new MDCP awards. See Secretary Locke's press release for a list of the winners. Many of the 29 proposals were worthy of an award. However, funding constraints limited the number of winners.

Other MDCP Information

How to Know if You Are On Our Email Contact List
If you received an email on March 4 announcing our March 5 opportunity notice publication then you are on the list. If you did not receive an email and you have not received an email since then notifying you that you are on the list, please email Ms. Lin Gao at Lin.Gao@trade.gov.

Familiarity with ITA Will Help You Succeed
In order to prepare a good application, it is important to demonstrate knowledge of what International Trade Administration resources are available. To find out more about ITA, click on the links in the "Related Links" box.

Online Discussion Group
Everyone interested in MDCP can stay in touch with each other via a Google Group. Use "MDCP" as your search term. The group is not an official federal government website. Parties interested in MDCP use this group to communicate and share information with others interested in MDCP.