National project: “Small and medium-sized entrepreneurship and support of individual entrepreneurial initiative”: problems of implementation and measures to address them

The article presents the relevance of the research of small and medium-sized entrepreneurship from the position of a factor that ensures economic growth. We highlight how the deterioration in the external environment due to the effects of the pandemic and the special military operation affected assessments of business climate and financial position of organizations. We conclude that the change in the organizations’ position has affected the need for financial support from the authorities and other structures. The study is focused on identifying problems in the implementing the national project and formulating proposals aimed at improving the effectiveness of its implementation. The information base includes regulatory and legal sources of information, official statistical data, assessments of representatives of the expert community regarding the problems and prospects of the national project implementation. We pay special attention to the situation in Vologda Region, and outline risks and measures to eliminate them. The practical significance of the research lies in the proposal of measures aimed at overcoming the identified problems. In particular, within the framework of the development of measures, the need for greater coordination between the state, society and business, ensuring the availability of information on the results of project implementation, taking into account in the passports of the national project and regional projects of measures related to overcoming the negative effects of the deterioration of the external environment. Along with the above, the paper identifies both persistent risks of the National Project implementation and new ones. Among the latter are the risks associated with increased sanctions pressure, which may reduce the competitiveness of Russian organizations, and threats of technological gap.