From June 5 to 8, Nizhny Novgorod hosted the Tech Friendly Weekend Festival, a satellite of the CIPR conference and the main event about artificial intelligence and modern technologies. For four days, the festival focused on the main city site – the Nizhny Novgorod Fair and the Vysota Youth Center. Dozens of events were held here, which brought together over 4,000 participants from all over the country.
Nizhny Novgorod to host EPS Forum of Responsible Business “SO.ZNANIE”

On October 16-17, 2025, the EPS Forum of Responsible Business “SO.ZNANIE” will be held in the capital of the Volga Federal District, which arose as a combination of two platforms: the ESG Forum “SO.ZNANIE” and the EPS Forum of Responsible Business. The relaunch will strengthen the position of the forum as one of the main events on the sustainable development agenda, bringing together key representatives of business and government, as was announced during a session at the CIPR-2025 conference in Nizhny Novgorod.
Supporting responsible business is one of the Government’s priorities, as stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Head of State emphasizes that the necessary measures are to increase wages, improve working conditions and social packages for employees. These messages formed the basis of the Ecology-Personnel-State (EPS) Responsible Business Rating, whose mission is to unite the efforts of the state and the business community to achieve the goals of national development and improve the corporate culture of domestic companies. At the same time, the assessment takes place in three key areas: ecology — the degree of environmental impact and environmental projects; personnel — the level of wages, social and other programs; the state — financial stability, tax history, etc.
“Combining these events on the Nizhny Novgorod site is a very important and logical decision for us. The Nizhny Novgorod Region is ready to become a center for the development of breakthrough initiatives. There are many excellent examples of responsible business in our region, which is ready to invest in the development of not only its own enterprise, but also in people and the improvement of the city. But it must be a systemic solution for everyone so that the business supports our overall development strategy. This applies to environmental issues, demographic policy, and other areas of life. The Nizhny Novgorod Region has already adopted an important law on supporting responsible business, and now, together with colleagues from other regions, federal authorities, and business representatives, we will work together to develop solutions for the whole country in Nizhny Novgorod!” said Gleb Nikitin, Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.
“Holding the joint EPS Forum of Responsible Business SO.ZNANIE in Nizhny Novgorod is a logical step in developing a dialogue between business and the state. The experience of the Central Federal District in holding the first forum of responsible business in Suzdal last year has showed that open platforms for direct discussion of joint initiatives with authorities and experts are critically important for entrepreneurs. I would like to note the initiative of Gleb Nikitin: the launch of the regional law on responsible business conduct in the Nizhny Novgorod region sets an important precedent for the comprehensive support of entrepreneurs in the Volga Federal District. Together, the Central Federal District and the Volga Federal District make up half of our country’s population, economy, and investments. I am confident that the joint forum will strengthen partnership to achieve national development goals,” said the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Central Federal District Igor Shchegolev.
Agreements were reached between the Nizhny Novgorod Region and the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Central Federal District on the cooperation of the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization “Institute of Demographic Development” and the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization “Institute of Demographic Policy named after D. I. Mendeleev” in the development of the methodology of the EPS rating of regions and further assessment of constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The regional rating concept will be based on the approaches of sustainable development formulated in the country’s strategic documents and corresponds to the goals of national projects. It takes into account the management efforts of the regions, such as additional support measures, public engagement, as well as the availability of human resources strategies and environmental initiatives. This makes it possible to take into account the motivation, initiative and systematic work of the region, in addition to the very fact of participation.
Over the years, the EPS rating has attained a federal level and today unites 7 million participants (95% of the country’s entrepreneurs). An ecosystem has been formed, thanks to which all market players have the opportunity to learn about business health indicators, receive competent support and implement sustainable development practices.
In 2025, the EPS Forum of Responsible Business and the International Forum for Sustainable Development SO.ZNANIE, which promotes the principles of ESG transformation in the business environment, will unite in Nizhny Novgorod, a city with a large economic and human capital. A single event will allow participants to focus their efforts on expanding the sustainable development agenda and developing new measures to support domestic businesses. In addition, the SO.ZNANIE platform will ensure the formation of new interregional ties and the exchange of experience between entrepreneurs from different regions.
The event will be held in a customary business format: there will be plenary sessions, specialized sessions and round tables on topical issues. During the plenary session, participants will receive key information about the general concept of EPS rating as a tool for the sustainable development of enterprises, the region and the country as a whole, as well as learn about measures to support responsible business and discuss aspects of corporate social responsibility.
Other topics of the forum include social investments in the regions, the role of business reputation in public procurement, legislation in the field of responsible business development, environmental conservation and the presentation of the corporate demographic standard (GOST). In addition, the event will include field meetings of the Commissions of the State Council of the Russian Federation in the areas of “Ecology” and “Investments” and the Expert Council of the EPS Rating.
The EPS Forum of Responsible Business “SO.ZNANIE” will be held on October 16-17, 2025 in Nizhny Novgorod with the support from the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The event is organized by OMG.