The regional center hosted a traditional meeting between the Governor of the Murmansk Region, Andrey Chibis, and the business community of the region. It began with an award ceremony and congratulations on the Day of Russian Entrepreneurship, which was celebrated on May 26.
"You are the people who are able to take and do, create a product, overcome difficulties, challenges and bear serious responsibility. Whether you run a small business or run a large enterprise, the value of your work is always significant. And I want to sincerely thank you for that. You are the leaders of change in our cities and towns. I wish you continued progress, and our task is to listen to you and encourage you to further develop," Andrei Chibis addressed the audience.
Two entrepreneurs were awarded a special badge of the Murmansk Region "For Services to Entrepreneurship," and eighteen more received commendations and letters of appreciation from the Governor of the Murmansk Region.
The Murmansk Region is a flagship for the development of the Arctic. A region where comfortable business conditions are created. There are various types of business support in the Arctic, some of which are unique. Many were the result of constant dialogue and traditional meetings between the head of the region and the business community. Andrey Chibis spoke about the extensive joint work, the measures in place and the results that have been achieved.
The Murmansk Region is a leader in attracting investments in the Arctic. Their total volume for 6 years amounted to 1.5 trillion rubles. The region remains attractive to all categories of investors, offering a wide range of opportunities. An increase in the tourist flow has become one of the main factors of business development. Recall that in 2024, the region hosted a record number of guests.
The development of small and medium–sized businesses is one of the priorities of the "Live in the North!" plan. 51 support measures have been introduced in the region, one of the most popular and sought–after among Northerners is the Governor's Start grant. Over the past five years, 164 entrepreneurs have received support in the amount of 184 million rubles. Also among the most well–known financial measures are preferential microloans and a grant for the purchase of a franchise.
In 2025, on behalf of Andrey Chibis, the list of priority categories of projects under the Governor's Start program was expanded: projects in the areas identified by the strategic plan "Live in the North!" are allocated to the priority category and can qualify for the maximum grant amount. Special attention is also paid to projects implemented by Northerners under the age of 35 inclusive.
Youth entrepreneurship is actively developing in the region. Since 2021, 96 socially significant youth projects and programs totaling 43 million rubles have been supported through various competitions. Socially responsible business and corporate volunteerism are gaining momentum. The head of the region thanked everyone who conducts this important work.
The Murmansk region is also actively developing the field of creative industries.
"We are currently working on how to transform the former printing house and create a creative cluster based on it. There will be an opportunity to hold forums and events, including on a federal scale, such as the International Arctic Forum. We are fighting for it to be ours and to be constantly held in Murmansk. Work in this direction is currently underway at the level of the government of the Russian Federation," said Andrey Chibis. The governor also thanked the entrepreneurs once again for their active participation in IAF-2025, which this year took place in the polar capital on March 26-27.
The communication of the head of the region with entrepreneurs in the "question-answer" mode lasted about three hours. The meeting was attended by representatives of various municipalities of the region, including in the video conference format. So, entrepreneurs from Apatity declared their desire to join the Sopki project. Without Borders", a proposal was received from the Pechenga district to review the mode of operation of thematic and gastronomic fairs, which are so loved by residents and guests of Murmansk, and to hold them much more often. The head of the region said that such an opportunity is being considered, and also noted that this year the fairs "It's warm in the North!", "It's light in the North!", "Spring in the North!", "Learning in the North!", "Delicious in the North!" were among the winners of the All-Russian competition "Trade of Russia", organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.
At the meeting, entrepreneurs actively shared their projects, offered initiatives and their vision of organizing various processes. There were questions regarding the rental of premises in the capital, the tourist tax, the provision of sites for the sale of goods to the self-employed and a number of other topics. The head of the region thanked the representatives of the business community for an honest and productive dialogue.
"The main value of such meetings is the opportunity to hear each other. Entrepreneurs come with different requests: from practical issues, for example, how to work with public procurement, to strategic ones — where the region is moving, and how business can integrate into these processes. Our task is not just to respond to requests, but also to form a common vision so that we go in the same direction, strengthening the economy of the North," said Svetlana Panfilova, Deputy Governor and Minister of Arctic Development and Economy of the Murmansk Region.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /