Sponsored by the People’s Government of Yunnan Province of P. R. China, MI’s Trade and Investment Facilitation Division (TIF) conducted a training course entitled, ‘Business Research and Database Development for Chambers of Commerce and Industry along North South Economic Corridors (NSEC),’ from March 25-29, in Khon Kaen, Thailand. 

The training was part of a six-month project to develop a web-based business database for business owners and investors in the provinces of the NSEC which will enable stakeholders to store, update and retrieve business related information quickly and efficiently. 

A total of 27 participants from P. R. China, Lao PDR, and Thailand (NSEC) – based chambers of commerce and industry (CCIs), business associations, departments of commerce, small and medium enterprises (SME) promotion agencies, academic institutions, and private companies involved in the export/import business attended the five-day training course. 

Participants gained new skills and understandings which will help them to conduct business research and to develop a functional trade and investment database for NSEC. Database templates – to be utilised from April to June during the research implementation-phase of the project – were developed during the training to assist the gathering of business-related information in the twelve target cities. 

Participants of the ‘Business Research and Database Development for Chambers of Commerce and Industry along North South Economic Corridors (NSEC),’ will next meet at the synthesis and evaluation workshop in August (following the completion of the research implementation), where they will come together once more to share research findings, lessons learnt and new experiences observed in the implementation phase.