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Market Development Cooperator Program
Matched awards support multiyear projects to help U.S. industry compete globally.

MDCP

For Helping U.S. Industry Compete in Global Markets, No Federal Assistance Program is More Effective Than MDCP

Through an annual competition, the International Trade Administration (ITA) selects a limited number of U.S. non-profit organizations to receive Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) awards. A recipient gets up to $300,000, matched two-to-one by its own resources, to pursue a 3-5-year project designed to remove trade barriers and help U.S. Industry compete in global markets.

Download Video: MDCP Introduction

Interested organizations should not prepare MDCP applications unless ITA announces a competition for fiscal 2026. News about competitions is posted below.

Recent MDCP Successes

Download Video: ACA Columbia MDCP Success
Colombians Adopt U.S. Industry Standards After ITA/MDCP-Supported Education Campaign
 

 

In 2020, ITA awarded Auto Care Association a $299,000 Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) grant to promote the adoption and implementation in key Latin American markets of auto parts cataloging standards used commonly by U.S. firms.
Automotive Colombia MDCP
Read About ACA’s Success
Download Video: Packaging Manufacturing MDCP Success
ITA Helps Packaging Machinery Reflect Excellence By Design
 

 

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. Well, that’s not the case when it comes to packaged foods and other goods. With a 2020 award of $300,000, the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute expanded the adoption of machinery standards.
Design and Construction Packaging Equipment
Read About PMMI’s Success

Discover More MDCP Projects and Successes

MDCP Successes

See examples of MDCP project work strengthening U.S. industry global competitiveness.

View MDCP Successes
Comprehensive Projects List

View summaries of completed MDCP projects.

View Completed Projects

“I must laud the efforts of your office to review all the elements of the application and related grant requirements before and during the grant announcement period. To be honest, [other federal grant programs] are nowhere near as responsive or transparent to prospective grant applicants. The MDCP program is a winner and hope funding will continue far into the future!”

- California Education and Training Export Center (CA-ETEC)

Read More Testimonials

A Long History of Success

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MDCP is the U.S. government’s most effective federal assistance program. Award recipients and their stakeholders continue to benefit long after the project ends. MDCP award recipients:

  • Generate $286 in exports for every $1 of Commerce funding.
  • Have tallied $12.6 billion of exports since the program began, over 30 years ago.
  • Create or sustain 14,000 U.S. Jobs annually.

Each award helps non-profit groups pursue innovative projects that address trade barriers, enhance industry competitiveness, and generate exports that create or sustain U.S. jobs.

 

“We were first-timers for any kind of award/grant. I appreciated the patience of the ITA team and their support every step of the way in our efforts in applying for the funding.”   

- American Association of Intensive English Programs (EnglishUSA)

Read More Testimonials

Announcement of 2023 MDCP Awards
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced new MDCP awards on October 16, 2023. This year’s MDCP awards include $299,241 to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) based in Michigan, and $147,348 to Medical Alley in Minnesota.
View the Press Release
2026 MDCP Competition Update
ITA is not required to hold annual MDCP competitions. If ITA decides to launch a competition for fiscal 2026, it will announce it on this page. Current MDCP partners may still contact ITA for assistance or questions.

Contact the MDCP Team
Active Award Projects
MDCP projects can run for up to 5 years. View all the MDCP projects that are currently active.
Review Current Projects

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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