As part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a meeting was held with governors of regions that are members of the Association of Innovative Regions of Russia (AIRR), with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the AIRR Supervisory Board Marat Khusnullin. According to him, the Association brings together regional leaders who are true drivers of the country’s development. As noted by the Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, who chairs the Association’s Council, AIRR traditionally holds such meetings within the framework of the international economic forum. He emphasized their particular importance as a platform for direct dialogue between regions and federal authorities and for developing joint solutions on key areas of technological and socio-economic development.
This year, heads of federal executive authorities were invited to participate in the joint work, including Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Pavel Kadochnikov and Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Alexey Matushansky. Permanent members of the Association’s Supervisory Board also took part, including President of Delovaya Rossiya Alexey Repik and First Deputy CEO of Innopraktika Natalia Popova. During the meeting, participants discussed support measures for enterprises in engineering, microelectronics, machine tool building, and other high-tech industries. Head of the Republic of Mordovia Artem Zdunov put forward proposals for the development of several high-tech sectors, including radio electronics. Governor of Kaluga Region Vladislav Shapsha presented initiatives to develop the industrial mortgage program. “The Association pays special attention to the development of high-tech businesses and small technology companies. I am confident that the proposals voiced today by regional leaders and members of the Association’s Supervisory Board will receive the necessary support at the federal level,” emphasized AIRR Director Alexander Smekalin. Another key topic was mechanisms for attracting investment into infrastructure projects. Governor of Tyumen Region Alexander Moor presented a mechanism for long-term investment agreements, particularly with the Avtodor Group, as an effective tool for financing the construction of federal and regional road infrastructure. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin highly praised the pilot project in the Tyumen Region. According to him, widespread adoption of this practice and the new investment attraction mechanism will increase the intensity of infrastructure development and improve territorial connectivity. As noted by AIRR Director Alexander Smekalin, the regulatory framework for launching long-term investment agreements is largely based on the experience of the Association’s regions. A number of regions signed similar agreements during SPIEF 2026, including the Republic of Tatarstan and Vladimir Region, both members of AIRR.