Barbosa, Paulo HenriqueAmador, JoãoArranhado, Esmeralda2026-05-222026-05-222026-040378-5920PURE: 163208563PURE UUID: 0f5106e7-34f8-43ff-b11c-7c33c3c1c590Scopus: 105038419633http://hdl.handle.net/10362/203316Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s). The World Economy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.This paper evaluates two core export-promotion tools: internationalization grants and matchmaking services provided by the Portuguese export promotion agency (AICEP). We merge administrative records with customs and firm data for 2012–2021. We employ an event-study approach with firm and year fixed effects in a setup of staggered adoption of the programs. Internationalization grants increase treated firms' total exports by approximately 13%, while matchmaking services raise exports to France by approximately 32%. Effects are larger for micro and small firms (grants 18%; matchmaking 40%) and concentrated in traditional manufacturing sectors. Results also show that both export promotion programs are effective when supporting firms with a permanent presence in international markets, versus occasional exporters. Event-study diagnostics show flat pre-trends, and placebo and anticipation checks support identification. Complementarily, finite-duration robustness tests show no rapid fadeout after 3 years, and a simple cost–benefit analysis indicates that both programs have favorable cost–benefit outcomes.1710171engExport promotionFirm-level dataPortugalStaggered difference-in-differencesAccountingFinanceEconomics and EconometricsPolitical Science and International Relationsjournal article10.1111/twec.70101https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038419633