For institutions and SME support programmes
For institutions, chambers and SME support programmes
See where firms systematically overestimate readiness, before support is committed.
AFT Global helps institutions test EU market readiness before resources are committed, turning firm-level assessments into cohort-level programme intelligence.
The entry point is the cohort readiness report: a fixed-scope diagnostic of a defined SME cohort, showing where firms systematically overestimate readiness and what support should come first.
Where AFT sits in SME internationalisation programmes
Most SME support systems already provide
- Export promotion and trade missions
- Matchmaking, grants and advisory
- Institutional bilateral channels
- Multilateral and donor-funded programmes
Yet one question often remains unanswered
Is this specific firm ready to enter, operate and prove itself in the European Union market, before support is committed?
Pivot
Readiness needs to be tested, not assumed.
From firm assessment to cohort intelligence
The same architecture produces two outputs: a decision signal for the firm, and programme intelligence for the institution.
Entity level, Decision Pack output
- Readiness verdict: Go, Conditional Go, or Hold
- Capability profile across seven independent capabilities
- Priority blockers and evidence roadmap
- Next-step sequence for remediation
Cohort level, Programme intelligence output
- Readiness distribution across the group
- Recurring gaps by prevalence and severity
- Programme design priorities
- Sponsor-ready reporting
The cohort readiness report
A fixed-scope first engagement: one cohort, individual diagnostics, one aggregated readiness brief. It gives the institution a practical read on firm readiness, recurring gaps and programme relevance, without committing to scale.
Cohort readiness report
- Cohort size
- 5 to 10 SMEs
- Focus
- One country, one sector, or a mixed strategic cohort
- Assessment
- Individual EU Market Readiness diagnostic per firm
- Firm output
- Readiness verdict, blockers, evidence roadmap
- Institution output
- Aggregated cohort readiness brief
- Timeline
- 4 to 6 weeks from cohort identification to delivery
Scope, reporting format, confidentiality and pricing are agreed per programme before kick-off.
Where the report proves useful, the engagement can extend: structured capacity building for the institution's own support teams, drawing on a decade of institutional capacity-building practice, and over time a standing readiness layer the institution can draw on. Each step is proposed only when the previous one has shown its value.
You can also judge the method before committing a cohort: run the free Entry Check on a firm you know well, and compare its signal with your own reading. Where the two diverge is where the conversation starts.
What the framework does not do
The methodology is bounded by deliberate distinctions.
Boundary
- It does not predict commercial success or post-entry performance.
- It does not replace legal, tax, regulatory or commercial advice.
- It does not rank companies publicly or produce statistical league tables.
- It does not disclose calibration parameters, which remain protected.
Where the framework fits in your programmes
Five use cases across the programme cycle.
How the engagement works
Institution, Agency, Chamber, Embassy
- Identifies the relevant SME cohort
- Provides legitimacy, access and programme context
- Uses findings for programme design
AFT Global, readiness measurement layer
- Runs individual firm assessments
- Produces firm-level and cohort-level outputs
- Supports sequencing recommendations
Methodological standing
The methodology is documented in a public working paper and supported by a dedicated framework explainer.
Documented, citable and deliberately bounded.
Working paper
Read the methodology paperFull description of the readiness construct and capability architecture.