The first Nizhny Novgorod Economic Forum (NEF) was an international business event held on October 22, 2026, in Nizhny Novgorod at the Mayak Academy named after A. D. Sakharov. The forum brought together more than 600 participants — representatives of business, government bodies, the diplomatic corps, development institutions, and the expert community from 27 countries.[1] According to Dmitry Starostin, Deputy Chairman of the Government of Nizhny Novgorod Region, an international event of this scale had never before been held in the region.[2]

Background and goals

The idea of the forum arose from the need to create a specialized venue for presenting the investment and export potential of Nizhny Novgorod Region. The existing CIPR forum did not allow these opportunities to be fully showcased, since it is oriented mainly toward technology topics.[2] The holding of the NEF was approved by Governor Gleb Nikitin. According to the organizers, the forum is planned to be held annually in order to steadily expand the circle of the region's foreign partners.[2]

Governor Nikitin noted that Nizhny Novgorod Region trades with almost 100 countries around the world, and that in 2025 the region's exports grew by 5.8 percent. In 2025, products from Nizhny Novgorod Region were supplied to 93 countries, 14 of which became new export destinations; the region's key partners include India, Egypt, Bangladesh, China, Belarus, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Brazil. During talks with the Brazilian ambassador, Sérgio Rodrigues dos Santos, Governor Nikitin said that over the past six years Nizhny Novgorod Region's trade turnover with Brazil had grown more than 21-fold, calling the country one of the region's strategic partners. At the meeting with the Brazilian ambassador, the parties discussed a joint film project — the creation of a feature film, "Nadine," about a 19th-century Nizhny Novgorod opera singer, Nadezhda Bulycheva, who used the proceeds from her performances to buy seven people out of slavery; on the Nizhny Novgorod Region side, work on the screenplay was already under way by that time.[3][4] In his words, the NEF is meant to become a continuation of the work of supporting enterprises in entering new markets, organizing business missions, and providing support for contracts.[5] The development of international economic cooperation is among the objectives of the national project "International Cooperation and Export."[6]

Program

The main event of the forum was the plenary session "Developing International Cooperation at the Confluence of the Oka and the Volga," attended by representatives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government of Nizhny Novgorod Region, and the Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia.[5] The business program also included eight thematic sessions, a round table, and a signing ceremony. Three cooperation agreements were signed at the forum: between the Privolzhsky Medical University and the University Clinical Center of Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina); between the autonomous nonprofit organization (ANO) "Nizhny Novgorod Region Export Support Center" and the Association for Business Cooperation of Exporters with Middle Eastern Countries; The agreement with the Association for Business Cooperation of Exporters with Middle Eastern Countries was aimed primarily at developing business ties with Qatar: the parties agreed to exchange information on export and investment activity and to organize business missions, exhibitions, and business meetings for Nizhny Novgorod companies; Maxim Cherkasov, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Entrepreneurship of Nizhny Novgorod Region, stressed that cooperation with the Association would allow Nizhny Novgorod exporters to engage more actively with Qatari business circles and find potential partners in that market.[7] between the ANO "Agency for Attracting Foreign Talent" and the ANO "OKA."

By the time of the forum, the Export Support Center had already launched a training project, "Export Mini-MBA 2026," aimed at preparing the heads of Nizhny Novgorod companies in international transactions, currency planning, and unconventional logistics routes.[8] The Nizhny Novgorod Region Regional Export Support Center signed a partnership agreement with its counterparts in Kazan: the parties agreed to jointly coordinate exhibition displays in Belarus and Uzbekistan, as well as to exchange analytical registries and specialized experience under the national project "International Cooperation and Exports."[8][4][2]

Thematic discussions covered international cooperation within the CIS, BRICS, and SCO, interregional cooperation, medical tourism, training of personnel for foreign economic activity, and the export of educational services. At the session on international cooperation, the Chinese side proposed making more active use of the "Yangtze–Volga" mechanism to establish joint production facilities, conduct scientific research, and enter third-country markets.[4][1] At a separate session, "Why People Choose Russia as Their New Home," entrepreneurs and specialists who had moved from Western countries shared their experience of living and working in Russia.[6] International payments, logistics, and supply reliability took a special place in the program.[5] Deputy Governor Yegor Polyakov noted that about fifteen hundred exporting enterprises operate in the region. The topic of interregional cooperation also held a special place in the program: representatives of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Udmurtia, Mordovia, Moscow, and other Russian regions backed the idea of combining efforts to attract foreign partners, through the exchange of business contacts and the implementation of joint projects across several constituent entities of the country at once.[4][5]

Alongside the business program, an exhibition of historic real estate of Nizhny Novgorod Region was held, bringing together examples of restored historic buildings and sites for new investment projects.[5] Additional business meetings and presentations took place on October 21 at the KUPNO.START venue.[5]

Participants and Organizers

Participants in the forum include representatives of China, India, the UAE, Brazil, the CIS states, Africa, and Europe. Under the "Cultural Patronage" initiative, launched in spring 2024 at the World Youth Festival, a "Friendship Club" operates in Nizhny Novgorod, in which Brazil is the sponsored country; the project serves as a platform for exchanging experience in science, education, sports, and culture.[3][5] The Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region, Evgeniy Lyulin, called the NEF a new platform for strengthening ties with friendly states and stressed the importance of people-to-people diplomacy for the regional parliament.[1]

The forum was organized by the government of Nizhny Novgorod Region and the OKA Agency. The event was held with the support of Sinara Bank JSC, Ruslakto Management Company LLC, the law firm Gorodissky & Partners LLC, Meril Innovations LLC, and NNDK Special-Purpose Developer LLC.[9] The chairman of the NEF organizing committee was Dmitry Starostin, Deputy Chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Region government.[6]

Representatives of Republika Srpska proposed considering the possibility of organizing production in their territory of medical equipment previously purchased from Russia, while Cuban specialists spoke about developments in biotechnology, including therapeutic cancer vaccines, and opportunities for scientific cooperation with Nizhny Novgorod organizations.[4]

Foreign partners expressed interest in expanding ties with Nizhny Novgorod universities, including NEIMARK University, and in training specialists in programming and cybersecurity. At the close of the forum, the organizers announced plans to make the NEF a two-day event starting next year and to strengthen its interregional component, in order to combine the capabilities of Russian regions to attract foreign partners and carry out joint projects.[10]

Participants in the session on international cooperation named the supply of Nizhny Novgorod industrial equipment, medical equipment, food products, and IT solutions to African markets as a promising direction; among the initiatives is the organization of direct negotiations between regional manufacturers and foreign importers.[10]

Sources

  1. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — The First Nizhny Novgorod Economic Forum Kicked Off in Nizhny Novgorod. Nizhny Novgorod News
  2. Newsroom24 — An Economic Forum with Guests from 27 Countries Will Be Held in Nizhny Novgorod — Economy
  3. Vremya N — During talks with Brazilian Ambassador Sérgio Rodrigues dos Santos, Governor Nikitin said that over the past six years the trade turnover of Nizhny Novgorod Region with
  4. Vremya N — Three cooperation agreements were signed as a result of the forum: between the Volga Region Medical University and the University Clinical Center of the Republic of Se
  5. Nizhny Novgorod News — The NEF Will Take Place in Nizhny Novgorod on October 22
  6. Vremya N — More than 600 representatives of business and government from 27 countries are taking part in the first Nizhny Novgorod Economic Forum
  7. Vremya N — The agreement between the autonomous nonprofit organization "Nizhny Novgorod Region Export Support Center" and the Business Cooperation Association of Exporters with Middle Eastern Countries was sent
  8. Newsroom24 — During the forum's business program, the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Export Support Center signed a partnership agreement with its Kazan colleagues: the parties agreed
  9. Business News. Time to Earn — The Nizhny Novgorod Economic Forum Brought Together More Than 600 Participants from 27 Countries
  10. Nizhny Novgorod News — On the sidelines of the forum, Governor Gleb Nikitin held a series of talks with the heads of diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan, Brazil, India, and Sri Lanka; the parties
  11. Open Nizhny — An Economic Forum Has Opened in Nizhny Novgorod