Science & Technology
Small Estonia punches above its weight when it comes to digital innovation, materials science, electrical engineering and biotechnology.
Estonia’s strength and potential in the science and technology field has been recognised by many, including the European Space Agency who invited Estonia to become its member early in 2015.
And there’s more. University of Tartu has turned into one of the world’s most influential materials-science research centres ranking in the top one percentile of such institutions. It is collaborating with the world’s leading scientific centres and corporations, such as Toyota, Nissan, Samsung and General Motors Global Research.
Tallinn University of Technology is a leader in the engineering field, with close ties to global industrial partners, such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Ericsson, Samsung and ABB.
Additionally, Estonia is also a well-established centre for biochemistry, molecular biology, gene technology and biotechnology. Currently, there are eight research centres and 55 biotechnology enterprises in Estonia.
For more information on Estonia’s science scene and international cooperation, check out the website of Research in Estonia.
Universities
International scientific cooperation is one of Estonia’s trademarks.
We have seen a 43% increase in foreign students, and an approximately 58% increase of newly recruited international professors just in the last six years.
University of Tartu is responsible for most of the scientific research and global co-operation, which has also given the world the only Nobel Prize laureate from the Baltic states. Tallinn University of Technology is closely following, but is more focused on engineering research and supporting start-up entrepreneurs.
If you did not know, then Tallinn University of Technology is also responsible for the pioneering development of Skype, TransferWise and GrabCAD, among others.
Other large institutions providing higher education are the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Tallinn University and the Estonian Business School.
Science parks
Tehnopol
Formed of more than 200 companies, Tallinn University of Technology and the IT College, the Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol is the largest of its kind in Estonia.
Through providing a unique set of business development services and international cooperation opportunities for companies, Tehnopol supports the implementation of new and prospective technologies. It brings together science and entrepreneurship, and helps to accelerate the growth of technology-based companies.
Tartu Science Park
With a mission to nurture start-up companies into global businesses, Tartu Science Park is the innovation engine of Southern Estonia. It provides start-up companies with needed services so that they can share ideas and find solutions through collaboration with entrepreneurs and experts.
Tartu Science Park comes with dedicated labs:
– Protolab provides a full range of prototyping services from CAD/CAM and technical drawings to actual production of the prototype mainly in the field of precision mechanics and apparatus building.
– Nanolab offers clean-room facilities for nano-technological R&D in materials and electronics sector.
– There is also Buildit – the first hardware-focused startup accelerator in the Nordic region.
Other institutions
The Estonian Academy of Sciences connects a group of 100 well-known scientists (including foreign members) and promotes research and development. Its goal is to spread scientific knowledge to the public and promote international cooperation.
The Estonian Research Council is responsible for cooperation with Science Europe, European Science Foundation and for international bi- and multinational cooperation programs.