"Rostelecom" has signed a cooperation agreement with the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization "CISS" in Nizhny Novgorod.

      On May 14, 2026, at 18:31, the company PJSC "Rostelecom" and the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization "Center for Innovations in the Social Sphere of the Nizhny Novgorod Region" signed a cooperation agreement. The event, held on May 13 at the regional charitable public organization "Care," was attended by a correspondent from NIA "Nizhny Novgorod."

      Guests of the ceremony included Vice President, Director of the Nizhny Novgorod branch of PJSC "Rostelecom" Yevgeny Petrov, Deputy Minister of Social Development and Family Policy of the region Vadim Tsyganov, Director of the ANO "CISS" Svetlana Kashina, as well as Director of the NRBOO "Care" and Project Leader "Robot, Grandma, and Me!" Natalia Simonova.

      "Today is a memorable day. We are summarizing the results of a project that has been implemented for a year and a half with the support of the Nizhny Novgorod branch of PJSC 'Rostelecom.' This is our stable, constant, long-standing social partner, for which we are truly very grateful. We understand that government resources to support socially significant initiatives may sometimes be insufficient, and here large businesses come to our aid," Vadim Tsyganov addressed the audience.

      The Deputy Minister of Social Development mentioned that PJSC "Rostelecom" is participating for the eighth time in the grant competition "My Kind Business" (formerly "New Opportunities"), which supports socially significant businesses. The company assists relevant initiatives aimed, among other things, at developing skills and talents of children and the elderly in the field of computer literacy, technology, and robotics.

      In particular, the project "Robot, Grandma, and Me!" won the regional stage of the "My Kind Business" competition last year in the nomination "Information Technology in Social Entrepreneurship," thanks to which it received grant support from "Rostelecom" in the amount of 150,000 rubles. In June 2026, its leader Natalia Simonova will represent the Nizhny Novgorod region at the federal stage of the competition.

      "Our unique project unites not only technology and human warmth but also generations. We are very proud of this model because it is beneficial for both children who study robotics and their wonderful mentors, the 'silver' volunteers. I am very grateful to 'Rostelecom' and CISS. Your support influences how our society and the professional prospects of the children participating in the projects will develop," emphasized Natalia Simonova.

      The agreement on long-term partnership in support of various social initiatives was signed by Vice President, Director of the Nizhny Novgorod branch of PJSC "Rostelecom" Yevgeny Petrov and Director of the ANO "CISS" Svetlana Kashina. The ceremony took place before the tournament for the game "Safe Internet," created with the assistance of the provider. The board game, which is equally educational and engaging for both schoolchildren and representatives of the older generation, was developed to master basic cybersecurity skills. The tournament involved children and "silver" volunteers who jointly implemented the project "Robot, Grandma, and Me."

      As Yevgeny Petrov reported, "Rostelecom" has supported 11 social entrepreneurs' projects over 7 years within the competition conducted by CISS, with a total amount of more than two million rubles.

      "In the anniversary tenth year of the competition, we are returning to the personal nomination that we called 'Kind Technologies with Rostelecom.' The grant amount will be 600,000 rubles, which will be awarded to the winner who presents the most outstanding project, in the jury's opinion, for the use of information technologies in social entrepreneurship or education in IT," clarified Yevgeny Petrov.

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