Seven projects from the Nizhny Novgorod Region were included in the list of effective practices compiled by the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia and ASI for replication

The Ministry of Economic Development and ASI have compiled a list of effective management practices recommended for replication. Seven solutions fr om the Nizhny Novgorod Region made are among these practices.

These ready‑made tools will help regional authorities shorten the investment cycle, develop infrastructure, improve the quality of support for entrepreneurs and enhance the efficiency of government bodies. The practices are posted on the “Smarteka” platform and are recommended for implementation in other regions.

“Regions have accumulated many solutions that have proven their effectiveness in practice. Our goal is to ensure that this experience does not remain local but becomes a shared development resource. The replication tool via the “Smarteka” platform works precisely in this way: to address specific tasks, there is no need to develop a solution from scratch. One can refer to colleagues’ experience and adopt a ready‑made practice that has already demonstrated socio‑economic impact for its author, adapt it to local conditions and implement it. This saves time, budget funds and managerial resources,” noted Svyatoslav Sorokin, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

The selection covered practices proposed by regions that are leaders in the 2025 investment attractiveness rating: from the top 3 – the Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow and Sakhalin Regions, city of Moscow, the Republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan; from the top 10 – the Khanty‑Mansi Autonomous Area – Yugra, and the Lipetsk, Novgorod, Tyumen, Smolensk and Chelyabinsk Regions.

From the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the list includes the “Electronic Inspector” self‑check service (an online service for anonymous self‑assessment of a business’s compliance with mandatory requirements) and a practice for attracting investment to the region (it enables obtaining preliminary technical conditions for connection to utility networks).

Another highlighted practice is the categorization of water supply and heat supply facilities. By categorizing facilities depending on the requested capacity and characteristics, it becomes possible to differentiate the works by their completion deadlines. The practice “Interdepartmental Commission for Addressing Problematic Issues in the Implementation of Investment Projects” is aimed at resolving issues related to the technical connection of investment projects to the utility networks of resource‑supplying companies.

“Out of 40 practices, 7 are from Nizhny Novgorod. It is very encouraging to see their relevance. This is a serious assessment of our work to improve the business environment. The list includes solutions that cover almost the entire investor journey: obtaining preliminary technical conditions and reducing the time needed to connect to utility networks, resolving problematic issues of investment projects through an interdepartmental commission, and digital project management. Today, they have proven their effectiveness and can be applied nationwide. At the same time, we continue to work on digitalizing the investment and construction process, refine existing tools and search for new solutions that make the implementation of investment projects faster and more convenient,” emphasized Alexander Solovyov, Minister of Economic Development and Investment of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

Another practice involves municipal offset contracts. This entails concluding a contract with reciprocal investment obligations for the provision of services. The Nizhny Novgorod offset was the first contract for the provision of services (rather than for the supply of goods) and also the first offset contract wh ere the customer was a municipal institution. It should be recalled that it was concluded for landscaping services, including the cultivation of flower seedlings, tree seedlings, and shrubs.

The Ministry of Economic Development and ASI also recognized the practices “Development of an Investment Profile for a Municipal Entity” and “Regional Platform for Investment Project Management”.

“In creating the investment profiles, a great deal of analytical work was carried out. As a result, all the information an investor might need when choosing a site for their project is collected in a single document in a convenient format – from general data about the district to investment niches and development trends. The profiles are available on the region’s investment portal,” highlighted Igor Ishchenko, Director General of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Development Corporation.

All initiatives underwent validation and expert review on the “Smarteka” platform.

“Regions are looking for ready‑made solutions that have already delivered results in real‑world conditions. Some help speed up the connection of facilities to utility networks and launch new production facilities. Others simplify inspections, improve the quality of investor support, create jobs, and help attract specialists. Such experience supports territorial development and improves people’s quality of life. “Smarteka” brings together effective practices from across the country. Regional teams can study the results, choose a suitable tool, and obtain materials for its implementation,” noted Igor Karachin, First Deputy Director General of ASI.

The list includes digital tools for managing state and municipal property, processing business inquiries, and verifying documents using artificial intelligence. Regional teams will be able to select an appropriate mechanism and adapt their colleagues’ experience to local conditions.

Since 2019, the ASI’s “Smarteka” platform has been aggregating the best regional practices. It has established an infrastructure for replicating practices: authors of implemented projects with proven effectiveness post them on the platform. After expert review, the practice becomes available for implementation in other constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Representatives of the regions can choose a suitable solution and get a mentor in the person of the project’s author.