On January 28-29, 2010 a conference "Your Course": Development of the Information Society in Russia" organized by Microsoft company in partnership with PH International and Institute of the Information Society took place.

The main purpose of the event was to discuss the issues related to implementation of "Strategy for the Development of the Information Society in Russia" in terms of providing knowledge and skills in ICT field, which became highly relevant due to rapid development of e-government services and tasks related to economics’ modernization, overcoming consequences of economic crisis and development of human resource potential of the country.  

The program of the conference was opened by Tatiana Ershova, IIS Director General, who acted as moderator of plenary session. In her report on the role of ICT in development of the society she mentioned that ICT reveal a lot of hidden opportunities in different spheres of life and such obligatory thing as increasing computer literacy will help to apply its entire arsenal. 

Nikolay Pryanishnikov, President of Microsoft in Russia, presented new educational initiative of Microsoft Company - Program "Your Course" aimed at teaching people to use modern computer technologies. Within the framework of the project it is planned to open 100 centers of increasing computer literacy in the regions of Russian Federation, where in three years more than 1 million people will be able to acquire computer skills for free. He also noted that Microsoft has developed and implements more than 500 educational courses for IT-specialists.

Speech by Yuri Hohlov, Chairman of the IIS Board of Directors, was devoted to main trends in information society development in Russia. Making comment on start of a new Microsoft Company Program "Your course", he has told: "This initiative, certainly, is timely and actual, as it is aimed on acceleration of turning into life a priority line for the state - construction of the information society in our country, and its basis – e-government. It will help overcoming of a digital divide between various regions of Russia".

Representatives of the Institute, Director General Tatiana Ershova and Head of Department of International Cooperation and Public Relations , reported on goals and main targets of IIS Basic chair "Development of the Information Society" at Moscow University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics (MESI).

Within the framework of the conference representatives of expert community, international organizations, IT-industry and non-commercial sector made reports.