Partnering in Business with Germany
Partnership programme
for business cooperation
Global support for small and medium-sized enterprises
Partnering in Business with Germany is a global programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and designed to promote foreign trade and investment. It seeks to help SMEs from developing and emerging countries forge successful business ties with German SMEs. Each year, around 1,000 managers from around the world are prepared to enter the German market and brought into contact with German companies that themselves are interested in entering new markets abroad. The programme leads to the establishment of long-term business partnerships and a global network of internationally active SMEs.
Partnering in Business with Germany cuts across all sectors. However, there is a growing focus on decarbonisation and climate action.
18
18 partner countries – 18 markets. Learn more about our 18 partner countries.
1.800
German companies participate in the programme every year. Two thirds of these German companies are SMEs.
18.500
selected managers from abroad have been prepared for business with Germany under the programme since 1998. They form a global network of internationally active SMEs.
A forward-looking business partnership programme for an international network of competitive SMEs, ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow
Feedback about the programme
The programme gives companies from abroad a very good toolbox for approaching German companies. This has helped us a lot, because our Indian partner knew where his focus should be and where the difficulties lay. Partnering in Business with Germany has helped us understand the exact potential India has to offer our company.
Trust is essential. Coming here on a German programme is totally different from coming here on my own. Under the programme, you’ll hear from Germans what to expect, how they do business here, what information you should provide.
In our experience, the exchange of visits is crucial for driving forward collaboration between potential partners. Through the participation in ‘Partnering in Business with Germany’, our business partner was able to convince us of his business idea.
Supporting international business partnerships for over 25 years
Partnering in Business with Germany is the link between Germany and companies from 18 countries. Discover partner countries
What’s new in Partnering in Business with Germany?
Learn more about our successful B2B cooperation and visits to German companies. Read on to see what fields and industries are in the focus in the various countries.
Erste Schritte für eine Partnerschaft mit Indonesien
Anfang Juli 2025 reiste eine Delegation des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE) nach Jakarta, um die konkrete Umsetzung des Programms Partnering in Business with Germany (PG) mit dem neuen Partnerland Indonesien zu besprechen.
50 Jahre deutsch-vietnamesische Beziehungen: Chancen und Perspektiven für die Zukunft
Am 8. Juli 2025 würdigte die IHK Pfalz mit einer Jubiläumsveranstaltung in Landau das 50-jährige Bestehen der diplomatischen Beziehungen zwischen Deutschland und Vietnam sowie die vielfältigen wirtschaftlichen Möglichkeiten zwischen beiden Ländern. Dabei wurde die Rolle von Partnering in Business with Germany bei der Förderung von Geschäftskooperationen unterstrichen.
Companies in Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia explore new markets
Foreign Trade Days are important platforms for German SMEs. They provide an opportunity for representatives of SMEs, government and administration to exchange views on the key economic issues of our time, make international contacts and learn more about new markets. At the end of June and at the beginning of July, Partnering in Business with Germany took the opportunity in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg to exchange views with local enterprises – and to present the possibilities offered by this foreign trade and investment promotion instrument for international business projects.
South Africa: the gateway to the African continent
As the geopolitical landscape shifts, the importance of diversifying markets is growing – for both South Africa and Germany alike. Against this backdrop, the second meeting of the German-South African Steering Committee took place in Berlin on 11 June 2025, with a clear focus on deepening bilateral economic ties.
Turning a company visit into long-term cooperation: German engineers to use associated petroleum gas (APG) in Kazakhstan
Around the world, APG, a by-product of the extraction of petroleum and natural gas, is burned off by flare stacks, as using it often seems economically unviable or poses technical difficulties. However, German Wankel engines might soon change this for Kazakhstan. A group of Kazakhstani entrepreneurs focused on green technology visited the German company to talk about development projects in the APG sector – talks which proved successful on both sides.