FAQ: Market Readiness Assistance Grant

• Business entity that is registered/incorporated in Singapore;
• At least 30% local shareholding;
• Company’s Group Annual Sales Turnover of not more than S$100 million, or Company’s Group Employment Size of not more than 200 workers; and
• New to target overseas market (at country-level)

Companies that have previously benefited from MRA, but whose overseas sales in each of the preceding three calendar year for that target market did not exceed S$100,000, can continue to apply MRA during the enhancement period of 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2026.

Yes, companies may apply for multiple new markets simultaneously. Approval will be based on demonstrating adequate financing and manpower resources to support multiple market expansion projects.

MRA only supports Singapore-registered business entities with key objective to generate overseas revenue/income. Applications from entities such as non-profit organisations, societies, religious entities, venture capital companies, investment holding companies or government subsidiaries, etc. will be rejected.

Companies are not allowed to apply for the MRA support after they have received grant approvals from Enterprise Singapore or other agencies for the same eligible expenses or events.

Yes, newly registered companies with less than one year of operations may apply for MRA. Approval will be based on demonstrating adequate financing and manpower resources to support the market expansion project. To facilitate the assessment process, please upload updated certified management accounts from your date of incorporation.

Companies can only sign contracts with third-party consultants or vendors after submitting their application. For BD staff employment, companies may extend job offers but can only finalise employment contracts after application submission. Project commencement and completion dates must align with the project support period stipulated in the BGP.

An application is deemed to be retrospective if any of the following events took place before application submission:

• Payment made to third-party consultant/vendor, including initial deposit
• Contractual agreements/purchase orders signed with the third-party consultant/vendor
• Employment contracts signed with BD staff
• Project commencement, including preliminary activities such as engaging third-party consultants, vendors, or BD staff to conduct market research

Applications for participation in overseas physical and virtual trade fairs are the only exception, as we recognise that a longer preparation time is required, and companies may need to secure the booth space in advance. Companies may make payment (including initial deposit) and/or sign the contractual agreement/rental agreement/purchase order with the show organiser/third-party vendor before application submission. However, applications should be submitted no earlier than 6 months before the trade fair’s official commencement date.

To ensure that there is no conflict of interest (COI), applicants should not have any relationship, connection, association, or dealings with their appointed third-party consultant/vendor, directly or indirectly via persons of authorities such as directors/shareholders.

The application will be rejected if there is COI detected between the applicant and their third-party consultant/vendor.

No, MRA supports eligible third-party costs for activities and services that companies do not have the in-house or internal capabilities to carry out.

• A company which does not meet the eligibility criteria
• A company holding a shell business registration or having its main business operations outside Singapore
• A company seeking support for the purpose of fundraising or increasing domestic sales
• A retrospective application
• False declarations

We strongly encourage companies to tap onto LEAD supported trade fairs to reach global customers, get feedback on products and services, and learn more about overseas markets. Please refer here for LEAD supported tradeshows.

MRA support will not be provided for LEAD-supported trade fairs, including in any of the circumstances:

1. There is unavailable booth space under the Singapore National Pavilion supported under LEAD
2. It can secure a better booth location compared to the Singapore National Pavilion
3. It prefers not to be part of the Singapore National Pavilion for various reasons
4. It prefers to exhibit at a different specialty hall within the same LEAD supported tradeshow

MRA support covers up to the standard booth size based on majority of applications. Based on overall trends, a booth space of 36 sqm is reasonable for companies across different industries (includes the display of machines, furniture, etc.)

No, but the applicant company’s name or brand should be clearly displayed on the booth and exhibitor listing. The brand may be represented by the applicant company (e.g., as an exclusive distributor) or owned by the applicant company through intellectual property rights.

Additionally, the overseas trade show should be an international trade fair where companies showcase their products and services primarily to trade visitors. These fairs must have international exhibitors and visitors.

OBD projects should be at least 6 months to allow companies sufficient time to build relationships and networks in the market to be effective. For companies with a previously approved OBD project (e.g. business match/IMBD/OMP) applying for a new OBD application for the same market, approval will be subject to assessment. We encourage companies to first follow up on completed projects and explore opportunities in new markets for greater business expansion potential.

While virtual business matching meetings can serve as initial touchpoints to identify potential partners, business matching projects should primarily be conducted in-person as they are generally more effective. In-person meetings allow for direct participation from companies and customised one-to-one business meetings in the target markets. The intent is to support companies in finding suitable partners and generate new leads for quicker access to overseas markets.

Yes. In such cases, please submit the Job Description of the BD staff (in place of the Employment/Appointment Letter) for application evaluation. Please note that support for BD staff covers basic salary only, and the staff member must be stationed in the market throughout the project duration. Owners and shareholders of the applicant company are not supported under Overseas Marketing Presence.

Once the BD staff has been confirmed/hired, please update the application, or submit a Change Request in BGP with the Employment/Appointment Letter.

No, the BD staff may be hired on full-time contracts and can be employed either by the Singapore applicant company or its subsidiaries, depending on overseas market requirements. For expenses incurred by overseas subsidiaries, documentation must clearly demonstrate the inter-billing of invoices to show that the Singapore applicant company ultimately bears the costs.

Yes, the costs associated with obtaining registration costs for import/export certification purposes are supportable, such as FDA registration costs and factory registration costs.

For international IP applications, companies can submit one single application for multiple overseas markets under the Madrid System, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) System, Hague System, etc. Companies should indicate all the target markets covered under these international systems in the application form. Singapore IP registration costs are eligible for support when they form part of an international IP application process.

For direct national IP applications, companies should submit one MRA application for each overseas market. For more information, please refer to IPOS' website.

IP registration support can include prior art search, examination costs, objection costs, and filing costs etc. However, once the claim has been submitted and approved, objection costs will not be supported as a standalone cost.

For IP MRA applications, the trademark/logo/device/patent etc. must be owned by the grant applicant.

Please note that the lists below are not exhaustive:

For all activities:

• Singapore-imposed Goods and Services Tax (GST)
• Out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., airfare, accommodation, transport, staff meals)

Overseas Marketing and PR activity

• Publicity costs to raise capital or investments

Overseas Trade Fairs

• Co-sharing/co-location of booth by multiple exhibitors
• Publicity costs to raise capital or investments
• B2C fairs only

Business Matching and In-Market BD

• In-house manpower
• Concurrent OBD approved MRA fees in the same market (e.g. OMP and In market BD etc.)

Overseas Marketing Presence

• Incidental costs – BD staff’s salary paid in shares or equity, overtime pay, commission, bonus, additional allowances/incentives, airfare, meals, accommodation, insurance
• BD staff who are freelancers or working remotely
• Other office costs – Rental of warehouse, factory space, residential space, hotel room/suite, equipment/furniture, fixture, utilities, internet/ telecommunication costs, etc

Market Entry

• Standalone objection cost

If the company has yet to register for a Corppass Administrator account, please visit www.corppass.gov.sg. After successful registration, users need to be assigned the e-Service access to the BGP in order to submit their grant application.

You may contact the BGP helpdesk at +65 6708 7288 or bgp_helpdesk@enterprisesg.gov.sg.

Operating hours are from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm (Mondays to Fridays).

You may call the Corppass Helpdesk at +65 6643 0577 or email them at support@corppass.gov.sg.

Operating hours are from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm (Mondays to Fridays) and from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm (Saturdays). Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

You may choose to upload unaudited financial statements or certified management accounts, if audited statements are unavailable.

If the company is newly registered and a full year’s financial statements are not available, you may provide unaudited financial statements or certified management accounts for the year-to-date.

Any personnel assigned as a BGP user in the company and given a Preparer or Acceptor role by the company’s Corppass Administrator can edit and submit the grant application. Contact details of the new user should be updated on BGP.

Under the e-Service section on BGP, the company’s Corppass Administrator should assign an Acceptor role to the new CEO/MD. This enables him/her to accept the LOF.

If the grant has not been approved, the Corppass Administrator can update the LOF addressee in the grant application form.

If the grant has been approved and the LOF has been issued, no amendment to the addressee can be made.

The applicant company’s Corppass Admin would need to add in the “MTI – Business Grants Portal (BGP)” digital service:

1. Login at www.corppass.gov.sg
2. Go to "e-Services" > "Select Entity e-Services"
3. Type “bgp” in the search bar to the right (next to "filter")
4. Tick the box on the left of “BGP”, then press "Next"
   • If there is no checkbox to tick, you may skip ahead to Step 7 below.
5. Press "Next" and "Submit"
6. Press "Return to Homepage"
   • After adding BGP for the company, the Admin would then need to assign it to the relevant staff.
7. Go to "e-Services" > "Assign selected e-Services"
8. Tick the box next to the relevant staff’s name and press "Next".
9. Type “bgp” in the search bar to the right (next to "filter")
10. Tick the box on the left of “BGP”, then press "Next"
    • Select the “Acceptor” role.
    • “Authorization Effective Date” can be today
    • “Authorization Expiry Date” can be left blank
11. Press "Next" and "Submit"
    • If you are unsure of who your Admin is, you may use your SingPass to check on the identities of your entity’s Corppass Admins and Sub-Admins
12. Go to www.corppass.gov.sg
13. Click on "Services" > "Find Your Corppass Admin"
14. Login to SingPass
15. Enter the company’s UEN
16. Press "Search" (the respective admins’ names will be displayed)

For further enquiries regarding Corppass roles, please refer to the Corppass User Guide.

All submissions in the portal must be made by the Grant Applicant/Company through its authorised employees/staff (i.e. users). Submissions must not be made by vendors, service providers, or any other third party, on behalf of the Company.

The maximum support period for MRA is 12 months, and companies have a maximum of 3 months to submit its claims upon completion of the project. Companies with valid reasons may request for an extension from Enterprise Singapore via BGP before the project end date by submitting Change Request. The request will be subject to approval.

For projects with prolonged delay, especially those that have not commenced or have barely started, companies should consider terminating the current application and submitting a fresh application when they are ready to proceed.

If payment has not been made and project has not commenced, companies should submit a new application on BGP for assessment and cancel the existing approved project.

If project is ongoing, companies should submit a change request on BGP under “Change in project costs” for assessment, including a quote from the new vendor before the project end date. The change request will be subject to approval.

The auditor’s responsibility is to verify and confirm costs incurred in accordance with the provisions of the Letter of Offer (LOF). The Auditor’s Report and Statement of Claim will be issued upon completion of verification of Qualifying Costs. Enterprise Singapore will separately review the project deliverables as stated in the LOF and will reach out if there are queries.

The guide on submission of claims can be found here.

Claims must reach Enterprise Singapore no later than 3 months from the end of the project qualifying period, failing which Enterprise Singapore reserves the right to refuse payment. Please note that completeness of submissions would help to ensure efficient processing of the claims.

As all payments should be incurred and paid for by applicant, during audit, auditors will verify supportable costs based on the principle that there are sufficient supporting documents to show that all payments had been duly made as required.

If the applicant does not incur expenses directly but assigns its overseas entity to execute and pay for the expenses, inter-billing can be used to transfer expenses back to the Singapore applicant.

MRA accepts only a single and final claim. All qualifying costs will be based on the quotation submitted during application stage. The approved quantum is final, and additional claims are not allowed.

Step 1/4

• Acceptor login to BGP > Click on "Updates Required" tab
• Click on grant's Project Title/MRA Ref ID

Step 2/4

• Click on "Cancel Application"

Step 3/4

• Enter details in Remarks section
• Click on "Cancel Application"

Step 4/4

• Grant application has been withdrawn

For further enquiries, kindly contact us through the Enterprise Infoline.

If you are unsure which initiatives and programmes you should tap on, and would like to get in touch with business advisors from SME Centres for advice, please make an appointment here for a call or Skype chat. Walk-ins are allowed during operating hours, but SMEs are strongly encouraged to make an appointment to confirm the slot.

The operating hours are from 9am to 5:30pm (Monday to Friday).