Russian regional managers will be taught to create special economic zones using Bashkiria’s practice

The Association of Clusters, Technoparks, and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) of Russia (AKIT), with the support of the Federal Ministry of Economic Development, is launching an educational program for the management teams of industrial technology parks, industrial parks, SEZs, and regional executive authorities "ESG Agenda: Sustainable Development Of Industrial Infrastructure". This was announced at the general meeting of the association. In the first section, it is planned to train about 20 management teams. The program, developed by the Institute of Knowledge Economy together with the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation and ACIT, is designed for two years. Students will be taught how to create a SEZ from scratch - from selecting a site to developing a financial model for the project.

New knowledge is needed to form uniform approaches and standards to increase the investment attractiveness of infrastructure sites using ESG indicators (environment, social development, corporate governance necessary for the sustainable development of commercial activities). They will help regional governments master the tools of sustainable development, which will give them a unique advantage in attracting investors from Russia and friendly countries. Based on the results of the study, a full-time presentation work is provided in Ufa, since Bashkiria is a pilot site for the ESG principles implementation at industrial infrastructure facilities. According to Andrey Shpilenko, Director of ACIT, this is the first Russian region where, with the support of the Head of the Republic, Radiy Khabirov, a methodical and systematic process is underway to develop and implement ESG standards.