August - September 1998

by Tracy Rollins

Since its inception in 1990, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT) program has helped to train over 1,300 NIS executives in conjunction with more than 700 U.S. companies. SABIT, which places mid- to senior-level managers, scientists, and engineers from the NIS in internships with small, medium, and large U.S. businesses and organizations, also helps to defray the cost for U.S. companies to host the interns.

As SABIT gears up for its next round of programs, U.S. companies seeking to establish long-term contacts or training for partners in the NIS may want to consider hosting an intern through SABIT. Although the application process is fairly simple, following some basic guidelines can greatly improve a company's application.

Be thorough
SABIT requires that a proposal address five substantive points: objectives; commitment to the intern's return to their home country; work plan; profile of the proposed intern; and industry sector. In addition, several "bureaucratic" issues must also be addressed, including adequacy of the company's financial resources; provision of emergency medical insurance; record of performance in agreements and grants with the federal government; and completion of three standard forms. All of the requested information is crucial, but the most important aspects of the proposal are the substantive ones.

Answer the "why" question
The most important questions to address in a SABIT grant application are the following: Why does the company want the grant? How will the company spend the money the taxpayer has provided? Although a company's reason should not be simply to have funds, long narratives on the company's dedication to SABIT's goals are unnecessary. SABIT requests that the entire grant proposal be no longer than 15 pages; a successful grant application is often much shorter.

Companies should also be specific with their goals and desired outcomes. Justifications such as "ABC Company wishes to enhance the former Soviet Union's transition to a free market economy by exposing NIS professionals to a new paradigm of business management," is less effective than "ABC Co. hopes to gain a competitiveness in the region by training executives in Russia (NIS) who are predisposed to doing business with companies in the United States. In particular, ABC would like to expand its overseas presence into Russia and believes training executives from potential partners or customers is the best way to introduce them to our high-quality products."

Focus on the work plan
The work plan section cannot be weak. SABIT asks for a "realistic work plan describing the training program to be provided . . . including the intern's (interns') duties and responsibilities, preferably on a week-by-week basis." While it may seem daunting to write a detailed, week-by-week work plan, especially when applying to host a Russian manager for six months, once a company has determined exactly why it wants to provide a manager with training, everyday activities should become clear.

Applications should include an explanation of duties and tasks the intern will undertake. Again, the more specific the better. If the general description of a day's training is "sales and marketing," an appropriate task for the interns might be to shadow a marketing manager and come up with strategies to be presented at a staff meeting by the intern. Thus, the intern would learn about marketing techniques and implement some of the skills gained as well.

Pay attention to detail
There are no "tricks" which guarantee a company's grant-writing success with SABIT. What reviewers want to see is a realistic and practical work plan/proposal that is clearly written. Attention to detail in the proposal is important, as a panelist may feel that if small details are overlooked, the training program will be similarly shoddy. "Application lacks detail" is a common notation on many of the grant applications that have failed. And the comment "not all evaluation criteria addressed" means an application will surely fail.

At the same time, although substance is more important than style, a well-written proposal for a weak idea will be denied as quickly as a great idea packaged poorly. Also, although an application will not fail due to incorrect grammar or spelling errors, an application reviewer cannot avoid having a poor impression of a company's proposal when it has typographical and other errors. Lastly, if the training program description includes industry-specific terminology, definitions should be provided.

Companies that have questions about any part of the grant application or process should call SABIT. SABIT personnel are ready and willing to answer questions. It is always easier to fix something before the proposal is submitted than after.

For more information on SABIT programs, visit www.mac.doc.gov/sabit/sabit.html, or call SABIT directly at tel: 202/482-0073.

Tracy Rollins is an international trade specialist with SABIT.

This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS)