More will be returned to technoparks – Newspaper Kommersant No. 216 (7417) dated 11/22/2022

The government has expanded the cost compensation mechanism for creating the infrastructure of industrial parks and technology parks – the reimbursement standards have been doubled, and the limit for “returning” costs to private investors has been increased from 50% to 75%. This decision is connected with an increase in the cost of construction, as well as sanctions risks, which can lead to an increase in the payback period of projects. At the same time, the government appointed the Ministry of Industry and Trade as the sole administrator of state support for technology parks and extended compensation mechanisms to high-tech technology parks.

The White House has updated the rules for financial support for the construction of infrastructure for industrial parks and technology parks, and has also identified a single administrator for such government spending for all types of technology parks. As follows from the government decree published yesterday, it was the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Recall that we are talking about specialized sites prepared for a quick start of production due to the existing infrastructure. The reimbursement of expenses of regions and investors for the creation, modernization and reconstruction of park infrastructure will be increased. As Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin explained yesterday at a meeting with his deputies, this is the first increase in the standards for such support in eight years.

Thus, for regions and investors (private and public) in techno- and industrial parks, the ceiling of costs that can be reimbursed has been doubled, from 15 million rubles. up to 30 million rubles per 1 hectare of the total area of ​​the park and from 60 thousand rubles. up to 120 thousand rubles. per 1 sq. m of total building area. Private investors – management companies that have invested in the construction of infrastructure, will be able to return 75% of the costs (now 50). Such an increase, according to Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, will allow taking into account the growth in construction costs. According to the official, this should reduce the payback period of projects to seven to eight years – taking into account the “new risks” due to sanctions, it can now take more than 15 years to reach payback without state support. In addition, according to the document, technoparks in the field of high technologies will also be able to use state support. Prior to this, only industrial parks and industrial technoparks fell under the “compensation” mechanism.

Andrey Shpilenko, director of the Association of Clusters, Technoparks and SEZs of Russia, emphasizes that before the establishment of a single state body – the administrator of technoparks, there were many types of them that did not have the right to support measures, in particular, high-tech parks. This situation “caused some chaos and distrust of investors.” The growth of cost recovery standards, according to Andrei Shpilenko, should be viewed as bringing the standards approved back in 2014 in line with objective construction prices. This, he believes, will stimulate a real influx of investment in the creation of infrastructure.

Alexey Poroshin, a member of the General Council of Delovaya Rossiya, General Director of First Investonomika, notes that “today there is a trend towards import substitution and the launch of new production facilities, but in the face of uncertainty, high inflation and rising prices, not every entrepreneur is ready to quickly start production” — starting industrial mortgage allows entrepreneurs quickly buy production space (soft loans at 3-5%; see Kommersant of September 6), but this requires parks with ready-made infrastructure. The approved changes, he said, will speed up the process of creating such sites and allow projects to stay within the payback period of eight to ten years.

Evgenia Kryuchkova