Gov.Jack Markell heads to Germany next week for his first foreign trade mission in two years.

Starting Tuesday, Markell will be overseas to meet with small and medium-sized businesses to tout the advantages of doing business and incorporating in Delaware, and to try and secure increased investment from one of the world’s largest economies.

The trip, which will cost $50,000, includes numerous meetings with companies, entrepreneurs and startups in the Bavaria region of the country. The five-strong delegation from the state, including Markell, will return Sept. 21.

“Success for our state in the twenty-first century means looking beyond our borders for ways to create jobs and economic opportunity for Delawareans,” Markell said in a release. “In a world where businesses have more choices than ever about where to invest and where Delaware companies have more opportunities than ever to sell their products around the globe, we must ensure that leading international business communities appreciate all that Delaware has to offer.”

Markell’s trip follows the launch of the Delaware Department of State’s ‘Global Delaware’ initiative, and is focused on increasing exports from Delaware companies to Germany, promoting the state’s status a preferred site of incorporation and promoting the state as a site for expansion.

Exports to Germany have grown by nearly 29 percent in the last two years, according to information from Markell’s office. Last year, Delaware exported $390.4 million in goods and services to the country.

Markell’s office said in a release that the trip is also meant to leverage relations with German companies, like researchers Fraunhofer and manufacturers Uzin Utz, who already have a presence in the state.

Among the groups Markell is meeting with:

The last time Markell went abroad for a foreign trade mission was two years ago when he visited Israel.

Contact Jon Offredo at (302) 678-4271, on Twitter @JonOffredo or joffredo@delawareonline.com.