During the operational meeting, Svetlana Panfilova, Deputy Governor of the Murmansk Region and Minister of Arctic Development and Economy of the Murmansk Region, summed up the results of the competitive selection for the Governor's Start grant initiated by Governor Andrey Chibis.
The competition has confirmed its high demand: in 2025, more than 230 applications were received from individuals, the self-employed and entrepreneurs.
According to the results of the selection, 33 projects in priority areas for the region were recognized as winners: catering, household services (including baths), tourism infrastructure, socially oriented business, creative spaces and coworking spaces, sports, recreation and entertainment, production. There are also projects implemented in remote settlements, towns, and single-industry towns by young people, participants in a special military operation, their family members, and citizens raising three or more children.
"For example, in Kandalaksha, it is planned to create a stylized gastronomic and cultural space in the Arctic style – a restaurant of Lopar cuisine "White Sea", in Umba – a recreation complex with a sauna, font and barbecue for residents and tourists. Also this year, a rural coworking project will be launched in Monchegorsk, implemented on the Arctic Hectare with the possibility of renting a greenhouse and places for cultivation, an active family recreation park in the Polar Dawns, where a rope park and a modular non-capital building with a closed insulated barbecue gazebo will be built," Svetlana Panfilova said.
The grant amount is up to 1 million rubles, for certain categories of applicants – up to 2 million rubles (depends on the choice of the priority group of the project area), the self-employed are entitled to up to 500 thousand rubles. The amount of co–financing from the applicant is at least 20% of the total cost of the project for SMEs and at least 10% for self-employed citizens.
"The Governor's Start contest is rightfully considered one of the most sought-after tools for supporting entrepreneurial initiatives. It is especially significant that the largest number of applications have been received for the implementation of projects that correspond to the priorities of the strategic plan "Live in the North!", said Svetlana Panfilova.
The Vice Governor separately stressed the importance of supporting the initiatives of the participants of the SVO and their family members.
"Providing grants of up to 2 million rubles for the launch and development of their business is a significant contribution to the socio–economic adaptation of these citizens and the creation of new sources of income for their families," said Svetlana Panfilova.
Detailed information about the competition is available on the Our North portal in the Governor's Grants Center section, as well as on the official website of the Ministry of Arctic Development and Economy of the Murmansk Region and the Murmansk Regional Innovative Business Incubator.
/ Ministry of Arctic Development and Economy of the Murmansk Region /