Estonia at the Global Innovation Summit 2025 – Elevating Baltic Innovation on the Global Stage
Estonia is proud to be part of the EUREKA network – the world’s largest public platform supporting international innovation collaboration. This year marks a significant milestone as Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will jointly co-organize the Baltic session at the Global Innovation Summit 2025 (GIS), taking place on 2nd of April in Germany, as part of Hannover Messe. The joint effort highlights the growing strength of the Baltic innovation ecosystem and the region’s ambition to foster deeper international collaboration.
GIS is one of the most important annual events within the EUREKA framework, co-hosted by the current chairs Germany and Canada in collaboration with the EUREKA Secretariat. The summit brings together key innovation actors – from SMEs to policymakers and funders – and features program presentations, thematic discussions, international networking opportunities, and pitching sessions designed to spark new cross-border cooperation.
A key moment of this year’s program is the jointly organized Baltic States panel discussion and pitch session, titled “Innovating the Future – A Focus on the Baltic Nations”, which will be held on April 2 from 10:30 AM to 12:15 PM (CEST) in Hall 18 of the Hannover Fairground.
The session will open with a keynote address by Estonia’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry, Erkki Keldo, who will highlight the importance of international cooperation in driving innovation and economic growth. His presence underscores Estonia’s firm commitment to advancing cross-border collaboration and promoting the Baltic region as a strategic innovation partner.
The event will showcase innovative companies from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, providing them with a global platform to present their ideas and find new collaboration opportunities with partners from across Europe and beyond — including Canada, Brazil, Chile, Singapore, South Africa, and South Korea.
The panel discussion will feature prominent voices from the Baltic innovation ecosystem:
- Siim Erik Akermann – Estonian representative, Focus Area Manager and Team Lead
- Tadas Tumėnas – Lithuanian representative, Head of LINO (Lithuanian RDI Liaison Office in Brussels)
- Aleksandrs M. Blūms – Latvian representative, Science and Space Advisor at the Permanent Representation of Latvia to the EU
The discussion will be moderated by Siim Kinnas, representing Enterprise Estonia, who brings a strong background in innovation and IP matters.
“We are pleased to note that Estonian companies’ interest in the Eureka network has been growing year by year. International collaboration is not just an opportunity to secure additional funding for R&D, but also a gateway to building long-term partnerships with companies and research institutions from other countries, while facilitating easier access to new markets. The Baltic session at the Global Innovation Summit is a valuable opportunity to further raise the visibility of both Estonia and our companies, and to support them in finding suitable international partners.,” said Mikk Vahtrus, Estonia’s representative in the EUREKA High-Level Group.
Estonia’s innovation policy emphasizes agility, digital leadership, and global cooperation. Participation in EUREKA and joint activities like GIS offer invaluable platforms to support SMEs, and research institutions in scaling their solutions and accessing new markets.
The Baltic panel discussion and accompanying sessions are co-organized by EUREKA, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia, the Latvian Council of Science, Enterprise Estonia, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of the Republic of Estonia, the Research Council of Lithuania, and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania.
Estonia’s active role in GIS 2025 underscores our long-term vision: to build an innovation-driven economy that is open, competitive, and globally connected – together with our regional partners and the broader EUREKA network.
About EUREKA
Established in 1985, EUREKA is one of the world’s largest networks for international innovation collaboration, connecting 47 countries across Europe and beyond – including Canada, South Korea, South Africa, Singapore, Israel, and Chile. EUREKA enables cross-border project funding, promotes strategic partnerships, and supports the co-creation of new technologies, products, and services by linking public and private innovation ecosystems.