During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Acron Group signed an agreement with the Novgorod regional government to foster the region’s social and economic development. The document was signed by the Group’s CEO (President) Vladimir Kunitsky and Governor of Novgorod region Andrey Nikitin.
Under the agreement, Acron Group will contribute to social welfare in the region, including public utilities, healthcare, and education, as well as RUB 100 million to fund additional initiatives.
One of those initiatives, spearheaded by Dr Viatcheslav Kantor, Chairman of Acron’s Coordinating Board and an honorary citizen of Veliky Novgorod, is aimed at establishing the Kantor Centre for Preventing Youth Involvement in Extremism at Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University. The centre will conduct research to counter the spread of extremist and radical ideas among young people.
‘Historically, unemployed young people with limited prospects have been targeted by all kinds of extremist groups. If we are to protect our young people and pass on historical memory to future generations, we must provide them with opportunities for a decent life, work, and future. Our task is to teach young people to understand history, remember the lessons of horrific past events, and preserve key humanistic values, especially the value of human life’, Dr Kantor commented on the initiative.
Governor Nikitin praised Acron’s continuous support for Novgorod region. ‘We have changed the format of our cooperation to social planning, so this agreement is aimed merely at systematising our efforts. The Company will provide significant aid to our university and create a separate scientific centre named after Viatcheslav Kantor. The university’s head, his team, and other Russian academics are developing the concept for the future centre. The Company will fund the university’s research activities. Last year, Acron provided support for the senior citizens of Veliky Novgorod, and this year, it will focus more on young people, including significant improvement in healthcare services’.
In 2020, Acron allocated RUB 1.5 billion to social initiatives in Novgorod region.
The Company continues to implement its investment programme and plans to carry out other projects as part of Acron Group’s updated development strategy through 2025. According to CEO Kunitsky, ‘In 2021, the Urea 6+ project will come on stream at our Veliky Novgorod site. Acron has started revamping two ammonia units and constructing a granulated calcium nitrate unit, which will create additional jobs’.