On October 24, 2007 the Conference Hall N 2 of the CrocusExpo exhibition complex successfully hosted the presentation of the "Index of Russian Regions E-Readiness 2005-2006" edition.

The edition is the second part of the Index of Russian Regions E-Readiness aimed at evaluating the level of RF subjects’ readiness for wide-scale use of ICT.

The edition is prepared by the Information Society Development Center under support of the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of RF. The publication of the Index became possible owing to financial support of Microsoft Company, Cisco Systems, and Intel.

The organizers of the event were: Department of Governmental Programs, Infrastructure Development and Use of Limited Resources of the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of the Russian Federation and the Expert Board at the Council on Regional Informatization under the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of RF.

Leonid Reiman, Minister of Information Technologies and Communications of RF, made an opening speech.

Yuri Hohlov, Deputy Chairman of the Expert Board at the Council of the Regional Informatization under the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of RF, Chairman of the IIS Board of Directors, made a main report on "Russian Regions in the Information Society: Rating 2005-2006".

Professor A. Raykov, Chief of the section of the Expert Board at the Council of the Regional Informatization under the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of RF, President of the Analytical Agency "New Strategies", the Government Prize laureate of 2006 in the sphere of science and technics, made a report on "E-Government in Russian Regions: Rating 2005-2006".

The main issue of the report made by T. Ershova, Chief of the section of the Expert Board at the Council of the Regional Informatization under the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of RF, IIS General Director, was "ICT Use in the Social Life of Russian Regions: Rating 2005-2006".

N. Nikiforov, Member of the Expert Board at the Council of the Regional Informatization under the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of RF, Director of the Center for Information Technologies of the Republic of Tatarstan, shared leading experience in e-government development in the republic.

S. Degtyar, Deputy Governor of the Tyumen Region, made a report on "E-Tyumen Region".

Expert Board representatives of the Council of the Regional Informatization under the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of RF, representatives of public authorities and local governments of a number of Russian Regions, IT companies, civil society organizations, research and educational community took part in the discussion.

Altogether more than 100 people visited the presentation of the Index, among them 16 -  Members of the Expert Board at the Council of the Regional Informatization under the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of RF, 19 - ICT-Companies representatives, 13 -representatives of regional public authorities. The event was highlighted by 11 media companies, such as television channel "Rossija", information agencies "RosBusinessConsulting", "Rosbalt", Rambler and publishing group "InformCourierSvyaz", Computerworld, Comnews.

IIS leading experts took part in the working up of the second edition of the Index. IIS is also the founder of this work.

We would like to remind the partners that the first edition of the Index of Russian Regions E-Readiness  was prepared by IIS in the end of 2005 and was used in preparing to the session of the State Council of RF devoted to the development of information and communication technologies in Russia, which took place on 16 February, 2006 in Nizhniy Novgorod .