About the Programme

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Long-Term Integrated Business Partnerships Matchmaking Programme

“Russia – Europe: Cooperation without Frontiers”

 Focused at:

• Assessing entrepreneurship development in a Russian region, especially in mono-economy towns and inter alia at a municipal level, and elaborating recommendations on ameliorating entrepreneurial climate;
• Assessing investment attractiveness of a Russian region, especially in mono-economy towns and inter alia at a municipal level, and elaborating recommendations on ameliorating investment climate. Preparation of an “Investment Guide” for a particular Russian region;
• Establishing environment for launching a “Social Dialog” between local authorities and local business community to solve problems of social and economic development of a region;
• Holding business capability training seminars for local existing companies, potential local entrepreneurs (especially young people and women) and representatives of local authorities responsible for entrepreneurship development in a region;
• Holding training seminars for staff of local authorities’ economic department on identification, formulation, screening and promotion of Investment Projects, especially behind local SMEs, making use of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) methodology to foster efficiency of work of these institutions with local entrepreneurs;
• Providing assistance and support to a local government in establishing business support infrastructure in a region (Regional Development Agency, Foreign Direct Investment Attraction Agency, Business-Incubators, Technology-Parks, etc.);
• Providing assistance and support to a local government in elaborating a regional innovation strategy and cluster policies as well as a region promotion strategy aimed at establishing business cooperation with companies in the EU countries, at expanding business markets and at attraction of foreign direct investment and technologies, and in realizing these strategies and policies;
• Holding training seminars for local entrepreneurs on identification, formulation, screening and promotion of investment projects as well as business partnership proposals;
• Preparation of investment projects and business partnership proposals making use of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and European Union methodologies and their promotion in the EU countries;
• Organizing presentations of Russian regions’ economic potential in European countries to further developing external economic relations of Russian companies, inter alia SMEs, and attracting foreign direct investment into Russian regions;
• Organizing and holding annual Business Partnership Matchmaking forum “Russia – Europe: Cooperation without Frontiers” in Moscow on a broader number of industrial sectors and in addition similar matchmaking events in selected Russian regions focused on their local economic and entrepreneurship development potential and priorities.
• Organizing and holding annual Conference “Competitiveness of Russian regions: Innovation, Investment, Partnership” in Moscow to discuss main approaches to assessing competitiveness of regions and regional competitiveness enhancement tools that are applied at the regional level in Europe and a number of Russian regions.
• Promoting Russian FDI into Europe: dissemination of information on investment climate in the European countries; reliable business partners scouting and matchmaking activities; organization of business delegations and B2B meetings and international events; preliminary evaluation of investment projects; organization and implementation of capacity building activities for SMEs upgrading and development.