How to Increase Business Initiatives?

During 2005-2008 about 80 potential entrepreneurs from Koigorodok region of Komi were taught to carry on business at training seminars. The seminars were initiated by the Ministry of economic development of Komi. At the end of seminars everyone presented their business plans. Unfortunately not all business plans were successful.

To estimate the results of the seminars the representatives of the regional innovations support center investigated the effectiveness of such seminars in solving socio-economic problems of municipalities’ development. According to the investigation the participants had the following goals at the seminars: new knowledge, new approach in business and decrease of unemployment level. 16 % of the participants showed an interest to carry on business.

On June 26, 2009 the representatives of the Ministry of the economic development of Komi, local administration, regional innovations support center, Institute of socio-economic problems of the North, Silver taiga foundation and those who had been trained during the seminars took part in the Working Group. The participants of the Working Group discussed how to use the potential of the seminars’ participants in solving problems of socio-economic development of the territory. During the meeting the participants also were informed about new forms of financial support of small and middle business.

Both the investigation and the meeting showed that the existing problems (unemployment, bad road conditions, lack of specialists etc.) and existing methods of business support do not encourage the local population to carry on business. The same problem faces not only the Koigorodok region but many other regions of the Komi Republic. So there is still no answer to the question “How to increase business initiatives?”