Entrepreneurial Educational Activity Index (EEAI)

History of Project Creation and Development

In 2021–2022, the Association for Financial Literacy Development (ARFG), together with the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, PJSC Sberbank, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, HSE University, Synergy University, NAFI, and Orel State University named after I.S. Turgenev, with the participation of 'My Business' Centers, implemented the project (first wave) 'Entrepreneurial Educational Activity Index' (hereinafter referred to as EEAI).

The working group created for these purposes prepared a document containing a description of the EEAI, its calculation methodology, features of the obtained statistical data, index values for each subject of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as RF subject, RF region), graphs reflecting the connections between training and business development indicators, and other data, as well as recommendations for regional government bodies and organizations of regional SME support infrastructure. The calculation of the EEAI was based on training program data obtained in 85 RF subjects through 'My Business' Centers under the regional request from the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, as well as data obtained from project participants. According to the developers' plan, the EEAI was created to assess the level of Russian population involvement in entrepreneurship training programs and the demand level for such programs, including in terms of specific training topics. The project's results in 2022 were presented at various platforms, including the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

At the end of 2022, an agreement was reached to include EEAI indicators in the National Rating of Investment Climate Conditions in RF subjects by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI), as an off-rating indicator (monitoring). Based on the 2021/2022 cycle results, participants of the working group decided to establish the 'Center for Monitoring Entrepreneurial Literacy' (based at the Higher School of Business NRU HSE) for further work on EEAI and research in entrepreneurial literacy among the population, building indices and rankings, as well as developing recommendations for government bodies and other participants in the educational sphere.

Project 'Entrepreneurial Educational Activity Index 22/23' (Second Wave)

This project presents the results of a nationwide study on entrepreneurial educational activity across the regions of the Russian Federation. The study examines the experiences of 2,802 organizers and executors of training, including organizations and institutions that support entrepreneurship, individual entrepreneurs, and self-employed individuals. These entities organized 13,025 training programs for business representatives and potential entrepreneurs through regional 'My Business' Centers and other SME support infrastructure organizations in 85 regions of the Russian Federation (including over 10,000 unique courses). The project is based on data analysis collected in the Russian regions through the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, 'My Business' Centers, JSC 'Russian Export Center,' major online operators of entrepreneurial competence training (such as LLC 'Netology'), and other channels during the period from 2019 to 2022. The project calculated the average national indicator of educational activity among the population across various topics, examined the demand for training programs, and drew conclusions regarding the structuring of regional training in terms of directions and duration of training programs. The aim is to develop guidelines for organizing local training with a focus on increasing the share of SMEs by accelerating the pace of entrepreneurial skill development.

The project was implemented by researchers from the working group at the Center for Monitoring Entrepreneurial Literacy within the 'Entrepreneurship Center' consortium at the HSE University GSB commissioned by the Association for Financial Literacy Development (ARFG) and with financial support from PJSC Sberbank. The working group created under ARFG included: from ARFG — Veniamin Shaevich Kaganov, from the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia — Kristina Yuryevna Kirisheva, from PJSC Sberbank — Yuri Alexandrovich Dmitriev, from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation — Yulia Alexandrovna Prikhodina, from the HSE University GSB— Dmitry Mikhailovich Knatko, Svetlana Vyacheslavovna Smeltsova, Anna Sergeevna Panferova. The list of expert authors of this study is provided in the 'Authors' Team' section.

Target Audience of the Project

The project is intended for a broad group of stakeholders, including:

• Representatives of federal and regional government bodies, local self-government bodies, state corporations, and funds implementing SME development policies;
• Representatives of entrepreneurial associations and organizations whose activities are related to the development of entrepreneurial activity and SMEs;
• Representatives of general, professional, and additional education institutions;
• Representatives of other market participants involved in SME development and entrepreneurship education (banks, marketplaces, IT companies, training program organizers, etc.).

Project Partners

The project is implemented in partnership with a wide range of organizations:

• Association for Financial Literacy Development (institutional initiator of the project);
• HSE University Graduate School of Business 'Entrepreneurship Center' consortium — working group, 'Center for Monitoring Entrepreneurial Literacy' (project executor);
• Ministry of Economic Development of Russia (administrative and informational support);
• PJSC Sberbank (financial, expert, resource, and informational support);
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (expert and informational support);
• Agency for Strategic Initiatives (methodological support);
• 'My Business' Centers (informational support);
• LLC 'Netology' (resource and informational support);
• ANO DPO 'School of Export' of JSC 'Russian Export Center' (resource and informational support);
• LLC 'NRA' — National Rating Agency (methodological support);
• Bank of Russia;
• Other partners (resource and informational support)

And other experts who joined the working group of the Association for Financial Literacy Development (ARFG) created for this research.