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Estonia has a collaborative ecosystem for Industrial R&D including academia, accelerators and competence centres. Supported by world-class expertise and a highly competitive, digital environment, Estonia is the ideal location for Industrial product and technology R&D.
| Active knowledge and technology transfer between industry and academia. | |
| Best innovations validated and commercialised in accelerators. | |
| Competence centers providing infrastructure and expertise for applied R&D. | |
| Compact, digital environment well suited to accelerated research, prototyping and launches. | |
| Solid track record of successful innovations and investments. |
Estonia’s Industrial R&D ecosystem supports startups and corporate R&D and has produced numerous innovations in sectors including mechatronics, energy, chemicals and food.
Estonia’s advantages start early, ranking top 10 globally in the teaching of science, maths and IT. Nine universities and vocational education centres ensure the workforce possess professional knowledge and practical experience of modern technologies. TalTech University has a world-class capability in mechatronics and collaborates with universities and companies including MIT and Mitsubishi.
As befits one of the world’s most successful startup nations, Estonia’s accelerator ecosystem supports global commercialisation of software and hardware innovations. Five accelerators, backed by global firms including Telia, provide validation, mentoring, risk capital and market access for sectors including IoT, mechatronics and CleanTech.
Four competence centres provide infrastructure and expertise to conduct applied R&D in collaboration with corporate and academic partners. STACC focus on Big Data analytics and security for software and systems; ELIKO develop algorithm and communication models for IoT solutions; IMECC specialise in materials technology, AI and smart factories; EII has conducted 40 global R&D projects in mechatronics and embedded software. A further three centers specialise in chemicals and bioeconomy activity.
Estonia’s Industrial R&D ecosystem is enabled by modern infrastructure, supportive policy making and a pro-business environment which consistently ranks as one of the most open, competitive and transparent in the world. The journey from research to prototype and global launch is accelerated and efficient.
Estonia’s track record of successful Industrial startups includes Starship Technologies and Cleveron in mechatronics, Skeleton Technologies and Planet OS in CleanTech and GrabCAD in industrial automation. Long-term corporate R&D successes include Valio and Lallemand in food science, Stoneridge in mechatronics and Ericsson in telecommunications.
As digitalisation transforms all aspect of industry, Estonia’s ability to integrate world-class industrial and IT skills in a dynamic, scalable environment make it the ideal location for Industrial R&D.
Estonia has been applying technology to solve Industrial challenges for over 20 years. Early adoption of robotics for productivity and quality gains led to the development of sensors and control systems by global companies including ABB (read more), Columbus and Nortal.
Over time the industry has become more sophisticated. Enterprise management systems such as those of Proekspert and Tieto are developed in Estonia for global use. Expertise in mechatronics with embedded software supports a hardware capability ranging from smart devices to autonomous delivery robots. GrabCAD’s cloud-based collaboration solution for engineers and Planet OS’ big data solution for energy producers have attracted global awards and investors.
Estonia’s digitally enabled infrastructure, soon to be 5G (with pilot networks already launched), and IT expertise create world leadership in physical-digital combinations. Smart Grid, a network of connected smart energy meters, provides real-time and predictive data on consumption to stakeholders. Demand can be balanced, production mix optimised and cost and environmental impact reduced. Smart Grid is protected by world-class cyber security capabilities including software, anti-tamper hardware and Blockchain.
Further success is expected thanks to Estonia’s pro-business environment which supports agile operations and a collaborative ecosystem well suited to rapid innovation, development and launch of hardware and software solutions. Areas of development include intelligent monitoring, data-driven manufacturing, autonomous robots and platforms.
With digital capability now a source of competitive advantage, Estonia’s ability to deliver cutting-edge innovation and reliable engineering in a competitive environment make it the smart, agile location for the Industrial IoT era.
Success stories in the Estonian Industrial R&D include:
Starship Technologies (read more), Cleveron (read more), Skeleton Technologies (read more), GrabCAD, Planet OS, Valio, Lallemand, Stoneridge, Neo Performance Materials, Ericsson, etc.
These websites can be useful when interested in Industrial R&D in Estonia:
You are also welcome to send us a request for personal e-consulting to obtain more specific information.
Estonia is a cashless society with over 99% of financial transactions occurring digitally. Electronic ID and Blockchain are widely used in FinTech applications. 80+ FinTechs ranging from innovative startups such as Wise to Blockchain leader Guardtime make Estonia a global centre of excellence for FinTech.
Estonia is not only a pioneering digital society, which has found convincing answers to the challenges of digitalization, but it also is a very green country. There is a strong societal and political will to utilize the capabilities and ecosystems. These have been developed to tackle the challenges of decarbonization of the economy and to become once again a leading player – in CleanTech and GreenTech.
Defence systems have always been a focal point for Estonia. The country has built a small but very capable defence army consisting of a professional army, conscription service, and national defence league, complimented by NATO allied forces. Over the years technology entrepreneurs and engineers have teamed up with the army to develop world-class solutions for the global defence industry. When we mean defence, we mean business.
Metaverse is the parallel universe or a unified universal virtual world, facilitated by the use of virtual and augmented reality headsets. In addition to the fact that existing products and services can be transferred to the Metaverse, it achieves a completely new economic environment and opportunities to create and market products and services that are unique to the Metaverse. Simply said, Metaverse has no limits in Estonia.
Estonia developed X-Road, its proprietary decentralised, distributed system in 2001 and has utilised Blockchain since 2008. World-class technical skills supported by practical experience implementing public and permissioned Blockchain’s place Estonia at the forefront of the emerging Blockchain economy.
Patient records in Estonia are digitised and secured by the Blockchain, providing a single immutable data source for healthcare professionals. With a unique digital platform and collaborative ecosystem, Estonia is positioned to lead on preventative medicine, patient self-treatment and industry efficiency.
What is it like to run a business in Estonia? How to benefit from the e-solutions and the efficiency of our business culture? What are the opportunities in specific sectors? Who to partner up with?
The Estonian Investment Agency’s team is happy to help you via its complimentary e-Consulting service, organize online or offline follow-up events such as virtual investment visits and guide you through the fairly simple process of investing in Estonia.
