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Highlights of the article:

(...) "A lot of companies are a bit hesitant to go to the U.S. government. They shouldn't be," said Harry Brandon, a founder of Smith Brandon International, a business intelligence firm that helps introduce companies to foreign markets. (...)

Brandon said there will be "huge budget opportunities" for companies that can help the U.S. fill in the gaps in security. Some $6 billion has been allocated to bioterrorism detection alone, he said -- an increase of 300%. (...)

For the full article see below.

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There is $38 billion in U.S. homeland defence spending proposed for 2003 and Canadian companies have as good a shot at it as anyone, says an international trade expert.

The key is knowing the right way to take that shot.

"A lot of companies are a bit hesitant to go to the U.S. government. They shouldn't be," said Harry Brandon, a founder of Smith Brandon International, a business intelligence firm that helps introduce companies to foreign markets.

Speaking at a seminar organized by the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI), Brandon said there will be "huge budget opportunities" for companies that can help the U.S. fill in the gaps in security. Some $6 billion has been allocated to bioterrorism detection alone, he said -- an increase of 300%. Many local tech companies are at the forefront of encryption and other security technologies the U.S. needs, he said, but the perception of a cumbersome procurement process is enough to frighten off many would-be exporters.

Some local players have already found success on their own using an array of services offered by Canadian government agencies such as the Canadian Commercial Corp. and the Export Development Corp.