Serious companies in developing countries are often on the lookout for reliable business partners abroad. The Development Cooperation Matchmaking facility puts those companies in touch with Dutch businesses operating in the same sector.  Interested companies have to submit a proposal for the cooperation with a Dutch company to the Dutch Embassy, using a special form to do so (" Intake Form MMF").

The Embassy will consult with its local network to assess the proposal. Furthermore, proposals must be clearly formulated and well substantiated before being taken into consideration. Eligibility criteria that are used among others are:

• The applicant should be a registered company which exists at least two years;
• The company should have between 10 and 250 employees;
• At least 51% of the shares should be in possession of local, non-foreign, shareholders;
• The minimum annual turnover should be EUR 250.000;
• The application contains a clear business plan that answers three basic questions:
  a. who are they;
  b. what sort of company are they looking for and
  c. what do they want to achieve together?

EVD will start identifying Dutch businesses that match the company’s profile.
If a suitable match is found, the company will receive a voucher worth EUR 5,000., which can be used to hire a Dutch consultant who will help to explore and define the cooperative effort between the local company and Dutch business partner. The consultant’s duties include arranging a visit for the company to the Netherlands and developing a joint action plan. All travel and accommodation expenses related to the  visit are local company’s responsibility.
A half year after the visit, the consultant will conduct an evaluation to determine if the activities have resulted in a basis for further cooperation.

EVD runs the Development Cooperation Matchmaking facility on behalf of the Dutch Minister of Development Cooperation. See also:  www.evd.nl.