Role of the Small Business Development Center assistance network in establishing and sustaining high value-added industries in Latin America

America's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network is the primary small business assistance network in the United States and its territories. Hosted by leading universities, colleges, and state economic development agencies, and funded partially through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than 1,000 SBDCs provide no-cost counseling and low-cost training “to help new entrepreneurs realize their dream of business ownership, and to assist existing businesses to remain competitive in the complex marketplace of an ever-changing global economy”. The International Trade Center, hosted at the University of Texas at San Antonio, has initiated several programs in Mexico to replicate the SBDC network concept. Efforts have focused on establishing an association of SBDCs across Mexico, developing accreditation standards to ensure quality small business assistance services, and building the network capacity. The goal is to encourage the development of high value-added industries and assist the development of sustainable technology-based economies. This paper discusses the process by which these initiatives are being established, the progress to date, and the “lessons learned” in establishing these networks in different cultural and national environments.