In collaboration with Yunnan Academy of Science and Technology Development, Mekong Institute (MI)’s Trade and Investment Facilitation Division organized the Synthesis and Evaluation Workshop on “Business Research and Database Development for Chambers of Commerce and Industry along North South Economic Corridor (NSEC)” on September 11, 2013 in Kunming, P. R. China. 

The workshop is the third and final phase of the one-year project on “Business Research and Database Development for Chambers of Commerce and Industry along North South Economic Corridor (NSEC)”, sponsored by the People’s Government of Yunnan Province of P. R. China. 

The project aimed i) to develop basic skills of participants to conduct business and trade research, ii) to analyze results of business research for development of provincial & city business profiles and organization members profile and iii) to facilitate development of business and trade database to provide an opportunity to conduct trade and investment in the NSEC. 

The workshop launched the NSEC Business Database (http://www.nsecbiz.com/) and provided an opportunity for the participants and project stakeholders to share their best practices and lessons learned and established the NSEC database inter change platform for strengthening the network among the business community in the NSEC. 

All the 16 participants, who had joined the first phase of the modular training on Business Research and Database Development in March 25-29, 2013 in Khon Kaen, Thailand, attended this S&E workshop. The participants represented chambers of commerce and industry (CCIs), business associations, government officials of departments of commerce, small and medium enterprises (SME) promotion agencies, academics, and business consultants involved in export and import business and trade promotion, from P. R. China, Lao PDR and Thailand in the NSEC. 

At the end of the workshop, the country national teams come out recommendations on maintaining and utilizing the NSEC business database in the future. Earlier, Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, Program Manager of Trade and Investment Facilitation of MI introduced the NSEC database and the process of developing it through a modular training approach. On the way forward, he mentioned about the value add functions as the next phase of the database including product market information and possibility of introducing e-commerce, Google reference map functions in the database system. The workshop was facilitated by Ms. Hao Wen, Program Facilitator who was the team leader of this project.