Omsk Cluster of Social Innovations will be presented at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum 2 June's

At the federal level, we are interested in promoting the experience of Omsk residents in the development of social entrepreneurship.

26 May during «Contact Exchanges» - The first public event of the social innovation cluster presented the first results of the joint work of government authorities, social entrepreneurs and organizations. According to Irina Serbina, Chairman of the Center for Social Innovation, important steps have been taken over the past six months to strengthen cooperation between residents of the Cluster of Social Innovations working in the fields of preschool education and development, medicine and rehabilitation, sports and tourism.

«Due to the cooperation of cluster members, the competitiveness of services is increasing, new production chains and new programs in the field of social services are being created.», - Irina Serbina noted. Based on the results «Contact Exchanges», which was held with the participation of socially oriented entrepreneurs, government representatives and ordinary enthusiasts who are ready to help fellow countrymen in solving everyday problems, three partnership agreements were signed on the implementation of joint projects and 25 protocols of intent for residents' interaction.

Head of the Center «Scoliosis-diagnosis» Marina Stepkina talks about the benefits of working in conjunction with other organizations: «We wanted to develop a new type of service. In cooperation with kindergartens, more than 60 on-site examinations of babies, and now we are conducting medical and wellness activities with the involvement of doctors.».

Irina Serbina noted the interest of the regional authorities in promoting social entrepreneurship and improving the quality of services to the population.: «We receive organizational and methodological assistance, as well as financial support from the Government of the Omsk region and line ministries. These are not only grants to entrepreneurs, but also legislative initiatives and their promotion at the federal level.».

Recall that the term «social entrepreneurship» it was introduced by Omsk residents. Regional authorities have made proposals to support this phenomenon, which is useful for society and the domestic economy, in the form of tax preferences, special conditions for insurance premiums, and subsidizing activities.

Denis Kushner, Deputy Minister of Economy of the Omsk Region, recalled during a press conference that the very idea of creating a unified structure of social enterprises was formulated in 2015 a year later, the cluster concept was worked out. The creation of a cluster of social innovations was publicly announced last fall during the VI The International Forum «INNOSIB-2016», which is traditionally held in Omsk. The next step - to create a system of state support for the promotion of social initiatives.

The Omsk Region's experience in forming a cluster approach to the modernization of the social sphere will be presented at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. 2 June, eh 9 Omsk developers are expected to attend a meeting in the Federation Council in June, where parliamentarians will consider issues of social development of the regions.