SBDCs in Peru
The SBDC Project in Peru is funded by the US Department of State, with the support of HED under the Pathway of Prosperity Initiative, and is executed by the University of Texas at San Antonio in partnership with the Peruvian Ministry of Production. The project started in February 2013 with the SBDC Stakeholder Pre-Consultation and Consultation meetings that aimed at gaining support and awareness of the SBDC model in Peru. After the consultation meeting, UTSA conducted the Certificate Training Program for the Future SBDC Counselors and Directors in Lima, with the goal of transferring the SBDC methodology and guiding professionals through the development of the operational and strategic plans of their future centers. Previous to this, UTSA hosted a visit from the Ministry so that they would learn first hand about the day to day operations of the SBDCs as well as led a visit to Washington DC so that they would learn about the structure, legal framework and supervision of an SBDC Network. UTSA is now assisting the government in successfully adapting and adopting the model to the local context.