Alexander Burkov: Our task is to support social entrepreneurship

Over the past 10 years, more than 156 million rubles have been allocated for the development of social entrepreneurship in the Omsk region.

In Omsk, in compliance with anti-covid measures, X International Forum of Social Entrepreneurs and Investors "INNOSIB". The Forum has been bringing together representatives of government, business and the non-profit sector on one platform every year for 10 years. The purpose of the forum is to share experiences, discuss pressing issues, and form initiatives. It was at INNOSIB in Omsk that the issue of securing the status of a "social enterprise" was discussed, and the initiative put forward by the regional authorities was supported.

Yesterday, on the "information and educational" day of the forum, a media festival was held, organized by the Omsk Union of Journalists, and the Omsk Center for Social Innovation held workshops for social entrepreneurs. Today is the key day of the forum. Guests from Egypt and Kazakhstan have arrived in Omsk, and representatives from India, Greece, Great Britain, Morocco and the Republic of Korea are connecting via video link.

Alexander Burkov, Governor of the Omsk Region, took part in the plenary session dedicated to the national development goals of the country. He spoke about the support provided to social business. Over the past 10 years, more than 156 million rubles have been allocated for the development of social entrepreneurship in the Omsk region. This is a direct financial support to businesses, as well as the Omsk Center for Social Innovation.

There are tax incentives for social entrepreneurship in the region. Last year, 91 taxpayers working in the social sphere received preferences under the simplified taxation system, totaling 26.5 million rubles. This support will be in effect until 2024.

The regional budget provides subsidies to residents of the Omsk Cluster of Social Innovations and entrepreneurs working in such areas as preschool and additional education, sports and healthcare, services for the elderly and people with disabilities, and vocational training. In 2020, 14 projects totaling 9.6 million rubles were supported. This year, within the framework of the national project "Small and medium–sized enterprises", more than 15 million rubles were allocated for a new type of support - grants to social enterprises. 33 entrepreneurs received them.

Next year, the volume of such support will be increased 4.5 times. In order for as many entrepreneurs as possible to receive it, the regional Government sent proposals to the Ministry of Economic Development to change the conditions for granting grants. It is proposed to reduce the share of co-financing from social enterprises from 50% to 20% and include young entrepreneurs and the self-employed in the category of grant recipients. The regional Government is also developing a draft law on social entrepreneurship, which will be submitted to the deputies of the Legislative Assembly for approval next year.

"Today, the Omsk region is a trendsetter in the field of social entrepreneurship. For 10 years we have been hosting an international forum where we present our practices. We have officially registered 127 enterprises that provide assistance and support in such areas as preschool and additional education, sports and healthcare, services for the elderly and people with disabilities. This is the kind of work that people do with their hearts. They don't do it for money. This is not just a business where the main goal is profit, it is creation, assistance and support to society. Our task is to support this business," Alexander Burkov emphasized. He also noted that more than two thousand students have already been trained at the School of Social Entrepreneurship organized by the CISC.

"People from the regions of Russia come to study with us – from Volgograd to Primorsky Krai, from the Komi Republic to the Altai Republic. And they teach not only entrepreneurs, but also teachers – those who will continue to teach social entrepreneurship in their regions. This underlines that we have best practices in this area," the Governor said.

The Omsk Region's practice of training social entrepreneurs is being adopted by neighboring Kazakhstan. "We are impressed by the experience of the Center for Social Innovation, which has set a powerful trend that allows us to develop the topic of social entrepreneurship nationwide.  Here we take an example, gain knowledge and try to introduce similar innovations in Kazakhstan. This year, the Social Innovation Hub is being launched, the main task of which is to unite social entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan, and then to reach the CIS level," said Emin Askerov, a member of the National Council of the Trust Society under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. A social entrepreneurship store will be created within the framework of the hub, where it is planned to invite social entrepreneurs from the Omsk region for cooperation.

Ekaterina Lakhova, Chairman of the All-Russian Public and State Organization Union of Women of Russia, also notes an integrated approach to supporting social entrepreneurs. She also considers it necessary to more actively develop and support social entrepreneurship in rural areas, which would help solve many social problems.