More than 1,300 people attended the International Forum of Special Economic Zones 2025 held in Nizhny Novgorod. Approximately 600 representatives fr om Russia's special economic zones, federal and regional authorities, as well as business communities across different regions of Russia and over ten countries worldwide took part in the forum. Additionally, around 700 individuals joined online to follow the event live. Throughout the day, participants engaged in four panel sessions covering topics such as regulatory frameworks for preferential territories and their optimization, business models and innovation infrastructure within SEZs, low-carbon development of industrial sites, and international cooperation through special economic zones. During the forum, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia, Svyatoslav Sorokin, announced upcoming changes to the legal framework. These amendments will allow SEZ areas to expand based on requests from major investors whi...

On September 18, during the III International Forum of Special Economic Zones held in Nizhny Novgorod, the digital investment navigator for BRICS SEZ was presented. Developed jointly by the Association of Clusters, Technoparks, and SEZs of Russia together with the Development Corporation of the Nizhny Novgorod Region under the auspices of the International Association of BRICS SEZ. The service allows potential investors to familiarize themselves with the preferential regimes of BRICS countries, an interactive map of special economic zones of the union's ten active members, and submit applications for locating their production facilities on selected platforms. As emphasized by Andrey Sanosyan, Deputy Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region, "Nizhny Novgorod special economic zone "Kulibin" has already been visited several times by companies from BRICS countries. Its placement on the new platform will increase its visibility internationally. Moreover, the service will ena...

Results of the III sustainable development (ESG) rating of special economic zones in Russia were presented at the III International Forum of Special Economic Zones 2025 held in Nizhny Novgorod on September 18. The rating was prepared by the Association of Clusters, Technoparks, and SEZs of Russia supported by the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia. The top position in the ESG rating of Russian SEZs went to "Moscow Technopolis" SEZ, followed by "Dubna" and "Saint Petersburg" SEZs sharing the second spot, while the third place was taken by Nizhny Novgorod "Kulibin" SEZ. Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia, Svyatoslav Sorokin, commented: "The ESG agenda has become a key element in assessing the effectiveness of SEZ managing companies. Principles of sustainable development help strengthen their positions in the economy and build long-term competitiveness. This rating identifies best practices and enables scaling them up." He exp...

The Development Corporation of the Nizhny Novgorod Region has developed the sixth universal investment proposal. It involves a project for constructing a tourist complex consisting of autonomous modular houses. These proposals represent projects with precalculated parameters requiring minimal preparatory work from potential investors. This makes it possible to quickly launch the project and significantly reduce payback periods. Enhancing the quality of interaction with investors and providing them with support since 2025 are included in the objectives of the national project "Effective and Competitive Economy" initiated by President Vladimir Putin. The project envisions building a tourist complex made up of autonomous modular houses, which are non-permanent structures whose autonomy is ensured by energy-saving technologies and resource provision systems. Specifically, they feature solar panels, rainwater collection tanks, and air circulation systems equipped with ...

Igor Ishchenko, Director General of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation, Sergey Lavrenov, Head of the Vetluga municipal district, and individual entrepreneur Olga Yumakova signed a cooperation agreement for the development of a hotel in Vetluga. “We held our first negotiations on creating a new hotel during a roundtable on tourism development held in Vetluga in May of this year. The northern part of the Nizhny Novgorod Region has significant tourism potential, so the Corporation, together with entrepreneurs, is actively working to develop this sector. We will provide the investor with necessary support at all stages of project implementation, and the district will receive a new comfortable accommodation facility for guests,” said Igor Ishchenko, Director General of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation. The investment volume of the project will amount to 45 million rubles. The hotel will be located in a historic building in the city cent...

Specialists of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation selected 90 sites for entrepreneurs to implement their projects in the first 7 months of 2025. The Nizhny Novgorod Region follows a one-stop shop principle for supporting investment projects. This regulation streamlines the review process for investor applications. Specifically, it sets a deadline of 3 working days for executive authorities or local governments to transfer information from an investor to the Development Corporation, which operates under the one-stop shop principle. The period from the investor’s initial contact with government agencies to receiving specific site proposals for construction should not exceed 14 days. When selecting sites for investment projects, the Development Corporation specialists use investment maps of the Nizhny Novgorod Region and the Russian Federation, as well as open sources, including data from the State Information System for Urban Development Activities i...

The construction readiness of infrastructure at the state site of the special economic zone (SEZ) “Kulibin” in Dzerzhinsk reached 50%. The state site occupies the majority of the total area of SEZ – 416 out of 724 hectares. Currently, work is underway to install gas, electricity, water supply, and sewage networks, as well as the construction of roads, parking spaces, and two checkpoints. The completion of infrastructure development is planned for 2026. Additionally, nine industrial production buildings and one administrative building are being constructed simultaneously. The facilities are undergoing the installation of foundation, metal structure, reinforced concrete structure, and façade panels. The first phase is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Gleb Nikitin, Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, emphasized the significance of the ongoing work, noting that the creation of industrial infrastructure for investors is one of the componen...

The III International Special Economic Zones Forum (“IFSEZ-2025”) will take place on September 18th in Nizhny Novgorod. Organized by Russia's Ministry of Economic Development, Association of Clusters, Technology Parks and SEZs, Government of Nizhny Novgorod Region, and Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation, the forum marks the 20th anniversary of special economic zones' development in Russia. It will serve as a key international platform for discussing industry prospects. Attendees include business representatives, government officials, and experts who will engage in negotiations with Russian and foreign investors, present successful cases from Russian SEZs, and discuss new partnership mechanisms in an international context. Focus areas include sustainable development and expansion of global value chains. Increased investment activity is one of the main goals of the national project “Effective and Competitive Economy,” initiated by President Vladimir Pu...

Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation has developed staffing support mechanisms for residents of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) “Kulibin” located in Dzerzhinsk. Based on data collected from residents and analysis of existing vacancies, a list of required professionals was compiled both for current enterprises and those planned for launch. Currently, more than 150 job openings of various profiles and qualification levels are posted on already operational enterprises within the SEZ. Among them, 21% do not require prior work experience, 51% demand between 1–3 years of experience, and 28% are reserved exclusively for experienced professionals with over three years of service. These roles encompass diverse professions such as engineers, chemists, operators, fitters, etc. To assist in hiring employees, SEZ residents may contact the Development Corporation whose experts provide consultancy services and assistance in organizing career orientation events. A compr...

The Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation conducted a survey among investors to assess their satisfaction with the agency's performance in the first half of 2025. The survey results showed a satisfaction coefficient of 5 points. In the second quarter of 2024, this indicator was at 4.99 points. Investors evaluated the corporation’s activities based on eight criteria: informing about available support measures, assistance in interacting with regional and local authorities, help in selecting land for implementing an investment project, one-stop service interaction with investors, assistance in dealing with financial institutions, employees' professional competence, facilitation of infrastructure access, and help in cooperating with utility providers. Additionally, the development corporation surveyed respondents regarding the quality of implementation of the Nizhny Novgorod Region investment map. Respondents assessed the service across five paramete...