Going Dutch

About the programme

Going Dutch is an early stage exporter programme, designed to help Northern Ireland companies develop the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence to export beyond the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

The Netherlands is a good starter market for new and inexperienced exporters. Its proximity, relative ease of access, trading culture and acceptance of English as a business language make it the ideal starter market for exporting into Europe.

The Programme includes one-to-one business support and mentoring, tailored market research, group workshops, in-market group visit to the Netherlands to meet with pre-qualified potential Dutch partners, follow-up assistance and support for five further individual visits.

How can it help my business?

Going Dutch is designed for Invest NI customers who have:

Less than 75 employees in the business
Limited or no experience selling outside of Great Britain and Republic of Ireland
Identified commercial reasons to explore export opportunities in the market
A suitable product or tradeable service that is adaptable for export
Financial stability and resources to develop and maintain an export market

Going Dutch delivered exactly what we required from the programme and more. Great initial research report that has provided an excellent template for evaluating other markets and a consultant who provided us with a number of high-quality partner leads which I don’t believe we would have achieved alone.

Stephen Symington, Titanic Distillers.

I can wholeheartedly say this has been the best programme we have been on to date. All companies who are looking to grow outside of their home markets should try to get a seat on this programme.

Paul Rogers, Gapogroup

I found great value in Going Dutch programme – it gave us a clearer understanding of our product and suitability to the Dutch Market. The programme was delivered and executed in a professional and enthusiastic manner from both Invest Northern Ireland and NITC, and highly recommend it for companies wishing to break into Dutch and/or EU markets.

Renato Lopes, Moorcroft Foods.

How to apply

The application window for Going Dutch is currently closed.

Programme delivery

The Programme will be delivered through a series of in-person workshops at Invest NI headquarters in Belfast, alongside 1:1 mentoring support.

Dates for the winter/spring 2023-2024 schedule are:

Activity	Date
Information Seminar	Monday 4 December 2023, Invest HQ, Belfast
Workshop 1: Researching the Market, Market Entry Strategy, Perfect Partner Profile	Monday 26 February 2024, Invest NI, Belfast
Workshop 2: Presenting your Company, Logistics, Developing the Partnership	Monday 15 April 2024, Invest NI, Belfast
Three-Day Market Visit: Meeting with potential Dutch partners	Monday 22 April 2024 – Thursday 25 April 2024, Amsterdam

Discover more

Find out more about the Grow Beyond Programme.

Participants on the current cohort of the programme

Company Name	Website
AW Control Systems Ltd	www.awcontrolsystems.com
Connex Offsite Limited	www.connexoffsite.com
Louise Brogan Ltd	www.louisebrogan.com
LumenStream Ltd	www.lumenstream.com
Metfinn Limited	www.metfinngroup.co.uk
Salt Communications	www.saltcommunications.com
Samuel Lamont and Sons Limited	www.samuellamont.com