Parks are utilized for the cultivation of industries
Until June 30 this year, applications will be accepted from Russian regions for subsidies to create industrial, business, and tech parks, as announced by the Ministry of Economic Development. The submissions are made on the MSP.RF platform.
Results from this application campaign will be announced in the third quarter of this year. The winners will receive support in implementing their projects in 2026, focusing on creating or improving engineering and transportation infrastructure like utilities, electricity, and gas connections needed for the establishment of new industrial production. The park's managing company also has the potential to secure support, such as compensation for infrastructure development costs, accelerated depreciation of equipment, and various other benefits.
In essence, the industrial production, and often the infrastructure required for it, is financed by the park's residents—private companies. These companies, in turn, can enjoy exemptions if the industrial park is located in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) or Territory of Advanced Development (TOR), which provide preferential regimes for their participants.
According to Julia Artamonova, Executive Director of the Institute of Economics of Knowledge, participants in an industrial park can claim system-wide measures of support and tax benefits, but these aren't directly tied to their status as a resident. "An industrial park isn't just about tax exemptions. Primarily, it's about the opportunity for swift production launch due to existing infrastructure. Residents either gain access to production buildings or build their own production sites. Either way, the problems that an industrial plant might face for several years are already solved for the residents of the industrial park," Artamonova stressed.
"We provide ready-to-use spaces equipped with all necessary utilities," explained Irina Bodrowa, Deputy Director of the Industrial Park "Promtsentr" in Ufa. "As the managing company, we assume full maintenance of all utilities, security, and other necessary services for the startup period. A reduced rental fee is also provided for this period." According to Bodrowa, "Promtsentr" is currently fully occupied, with only one vacant land plot remaining for the construction of two buildings, each with 10,500 sq.m. The project documentation for these plots is currently undergoing government review.
Investments in Parks
According to a digital investment platform study, as of June 2025, there are 320 parks in Russia where 262 projects are being implemented, totaling 1.8 trillion rubles (22.9 billion dollars). Compared to global standards, this isn't too much. Industrial parks are rapidly developing worldwide and are becoming a magnet for capital. For example, Vietnam, with a population of over 100 million, has attracted more than 20,000 domestic and foreign projects to its 418 industrial parks, with a combined investment of 231 billion dollars in 2024.
Analysts from the platform predict that this segment in Russia will grow. In the next five years, an additional 242 projects are expected, totaling 1.3 trillion rubles (19.6 billion dollars). In 2025, investments in industrial parks are estimated to reach 328.4 billion rubles (4.6 billion dollars), increasing to 420.2 billion rubles (5.8 billion dollars) in 2026. The growth, estimated at 28%, is attributed to the construction of large objects in the Volga and Central Federal Districts.
The largest investors in Russian industrial parks, according to the platform's analysts, are the port terminal operator OTEKO (385 billion rubles), the SEZ "Alabuga" (257 billion rubles), and the "Project-Development" company creating the park in Novosibirsk (51 billion rubles). "The Flagship in terms of investments in industrial parks is Krasnodar Krai — it accounts for 24.5% of the sector's financial mass, or 413.8 billion rubles, with 6 active projects. In second place is the Moscow Region — projects are being developed in 40 locations worth 357.6 billion rubles (21.2%). In third place is Tatarstan: investments total 324 billion rubles (19.2%) in 20 projects." This is mentioned in the report.
However, the data from the "Investment Projects" platform does not align with the official statistics provided by NK "Association of Industrial Parks" (AIP). According to the AIP's calculations, there are 454 parks in Russia (295 active and 159 under development). The estimated investment in production and infrastructure by AIP is 2.6 trillion rubles, not 1.8 trillion rubles. The leaders in attracting investments, according to the AIP, are Tatarstan, Kaluga, Lipetsk regions, and Moscow.
Both "MonoKlz" declined to comment on the discrepancies between their data. Although these differences may be due to different methods of counting, they may also reflect a reluctance to acknowledge abandoned projects.
Frozen Projects in Parks
The share of frozen projects is quite significant — 15.3%, or 40 parks with a total value of 90.4 billion rubles, as calculated by "Investment Projects".
For example, the creation of the "Northern Domodedovo" industrial park in the Moscow Region, valued at 30 billion rubles, has stalled in the pre-project stage. According to the platform's data, the construction of a food cluster (first phase) in Moscow worth 10 billion rubles has been halted. However, the investor for the project, the Krost Group, does not confirm this.
The status of projects within the OTEKO holding in the Taman port is unclear according to "Investment Projects". In the port, three quarters of cargo terminal stages have already been put into operation, a universal port terminal, and a base for heavy and oversized cargo. Underway are factories for the production of ammonia, carbamide, and methanol, as well as a grain terminal. Investments in the industrial park in Taman are estimated by the platform's analysts at 385 billion rubles (22.8% of the sector's financial investments), but the AIP does not include either the entire Krasnodar Krai or the OTEKO projects in the list of sector leaders. OTEKO declined to comment on the matter.
Julia Artamonova of the Institute of Economics of Knowledge believes that these projects have been halted until the next economic thaw. "The rise in key interest rates leads to a higher cost of borrowing money, making it difficult for investors to build production on credit terms, or it becomes economically unfeasible," she argues.
Lone Wolf in the Park
Industrial parks are often formed around a key player, such as the OTEKO port in Taman or the GAZ KamAZ in the Ulianovsk Region. According to Artomonova, the presence of a key investor does not mean they are the only one involved. "For a project to be accredited by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, you need at least two residents, and in the future, this number is expected to be increased," Artamonova explains.
According to AIP, only 108 parks, among them both active and under construction, have accreditation from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. For example, of the 98 parks in the Moscow Region, only seven have been accredited by the Ministry.
"A key investor provides a high percentage of the occupation of the area, so the infrastructure is formed to meet their requirements, and then other residents are attracted," Artamonova explains. "The economic advantage of such a park lies in the possibility of obtaining government support in the form of inter-budgetary transfers for the creation, reconstruction, or modernization of infrastructure park objects. The compensation rate can reach up to 99% of the project's cost." The advantages for the region are increased regional GDP, the creation of new jobs, and increased tax revenues for all levels of government," Artamonova explains.
The practice of developing industrial parks in ports is widespread in Europe, particularly in the Baltic countries, as well as in countries of East Asia. According to "MonoKlz", Director of the "Analytics and Logistics" department of the "Morstroitel'stvo" Company Alexander Golozynin, the company he worked with on the project for the port of Ust-Luga has come to the conclusion that the driving force behind the creation of an industrial park in the port will be petrochemical products as an export-oriented commodity. "In places where there is a possibility of connecting a gas pipeline to the coast, it is possible to create an industrial park," he said.
In the Far East, for example, the construction of the Na- uchkinskii zavod mineral fertilizers is currently underway on the TOR "Na- uchka" site, which will produce methanol and carbamide. Construction is also ongoing for the OTEKO port project. In Ust-Luga, the "Russki-khimialiyans" is building a gas-processing and LNG plant. The Baltic Port Chemical Complex has plans to produce polyethylene and other products of gas chemistry. "When the plant is operational, it will create conditions for the development of higher-value-added production in the port," Golozynin argues.
In the past, federal support for the creation of industrial parks was only available to 20 regions with low levels of social-economic development. As of this year, all regions of Russia can apply for subsidies. In addition, the mechanism for pre-evaluation of projects, before the main competition, was introduced for the first time. In this preliminary stage, 87 applications from 39 regions were received.
Undoubtedly, a large resident is attractive to a park's managing company, as they promise a significant volume of shipments and jobs, notes Artamonova. For example, "Alabuga" is an OEEZ with a special economic regime, where tax benefits are available for residents. However, the investment threshold for entering an OEEZ as a resident is significantly higher than in an industrial park and is not always within reach of small or medium-sized businesses. "Therefore, the practice of creating industrial parks within OEEZs involves accommodating small businesses that have the potential to grow and may eventually achieve the status of an OEEZ resident with all its benefits," explains Artamonova.
"Occupying built-up spaces saves investors money by significantly reducing construction and startup costs. Selecting any location, a resident receives a prepared land plot with gas, water, and electricity, access to customs terminals. The demand for this offer is evident since the majority of the 133 new industrial projects opened in the Kaluga Region are located on industrial sites," explains press secretary of the Agency for Regional Development of the Kaluga Region, Tatiana Antipova.
In the Kaluga Region, there are 12 parks, and the share of taxes from businesses located on their territory in the consolidated budget of the region is almost 25%.
By 2030, the number of industrial parks in Russia is expected to increase from the current 454 to 580, according to AIP. AIP assumes a more conservative growth rate of 4-5% per year, although historical average growth rates have been around 15-17%.
Investments in infrastructure and production have increased threefold since 2013, to 2.3 trillion rubles, and by 2030 are expected to exceed 3.4 trillion rubles. In 2024, domestic and foreign investments were almost equal—53% and 47%, respectively.
"It's important to consider that the early stages of the implementation of industrial parks were mainly aimed at attracting foreign manufacturers. Today, however, the trend has changed, and industrial parks are gaining widespread popularity among domestic players, who previously were mostly small and medium-sized businesses with investments of less than 200 million rubles," the report from the AIP notes.
- The manufacturing industry in Russia, specifically within industrial parks, is often financed by private companies, which in return can enjoy exemptions if the industrial park is located in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) or Territory of Advanced Development (TOR), offering them preferential regimes for their participation.
- The Ministry of Economic Development's campaign for subsidies to create industrial, business, and tech parks will see results announced in the third quarter of this year, with winners receiving support in implementing their projects in 2026. The focus will be on creating or improving engineering and transportation infrastructure like utilities, electricity, and gas connections needed for the establishment of new industrial production.
