Services for knowledge-intensive businesses

Companies developing innovative technologies often need access to infrastructure (such as laboratories or pilot production), equipment, services or expertise. Enterprise Estonia services and network can help companies to find the resources they need and, if necessary, advise them in their negotiations, for example with universities or research institutions.

• Our development collaboration experts help companies define their needs, find and contact the resources and contacts they need in Estonia or internationally.
• Development advisors are specialists in industry and business associations who have the best insight into the capabilities and needs of the association’s members. They are also happy to mediate contacts and enquiries between companies and research institutions.

Often, businesses need expert help. Together with our partners in Estonia and internationally, we can help you find the expertise you need, provide support in using their services and also offer ways to recruit them.

• EIS development collaboration experts help companies find and contact the experts they need in Estonia or internationally.
• EIS support for the involvement of an international expert enable companies to bring in experts from different target markets around the world and cover the costs.
• SEKMO is an intersectoral mobility measure managed by the Estonian Research Council, which supports the recruitment (salary costs) of experts with research experience (also part-time) to companies.

For companies developing innovative products or technologies and wishing to maintain or increase their differentiation and/or competitiveness in the international market, effective protection and management of intellectual property (IP) is an essential skill.

• In the course of Enterprise Estonia IP strategy consultations our experienced specialists help companies identify their IP, create protection strategies, find suitable experts and service providers in the private market and negotiate IO with licensing partners or, for example, universities and research institutions.
• During Technology intelligence consultations we help companies assess, through data analysis, the innovativeness of their development, the intensity of technological competition, their ability to seek protection and their freedom to operate (FTO) vis-à-vis third party IP.
• Estonian Patent office advises companies on the technical aspects of intellectual property protection and registers intellectual property protected in Estonia.
• Estonian patent attorneys provide companies with services for the drafting, filing and management of applications for the protection of intellectual property, including trademarks and designs.

Startup Estonia manages a database of Estonian startups.

Understanding your market and your customers, and having an appropriate market entry strategy, are essential to your success. Enterprise Estonia and our partners help companies to conduct market and competitor analyses, identify customers and enter new markets.

• During Technology intelligence service we help companies assess the innovativeness of their development, the intensity of technological competition, the possibility to seek protection and the freedom to operate (FTO) vis-à-vis third party IO through data analysis.
• Export advicers help companies to discover target markets, open doors with partners and customers and, if necessary, guide them to the right financing.

Doing innovative, research-intensive and ‘real’ things is neither cheap nor fast, so it may make sense to use different tools than usual to develop business models for them. The EIS is piloting the application of the Disciplined Entrepreneurship methodology developed at MIT, the world’s most renowned technology university, to the Estonian innovation and deep technology ecosystem.

The methodology and its materials can be found on the methodology’s website d-eship.com until further details are available.

Accelerators provide start-ups with operational space, administrative support, networking, mentors and other support to help businesses grow faster. Examples of organisations in Estonia that focus on innovative and knowledge-intensive businesses include:

• Tehnopol support start-ups and emerging technology companies. Tehnopol Campus is located in Mustamäe, Tallinn. Tehnopolis is also home to the NATO Defence Technology Accelerator DIANA.
• Tartu Science Park provides incubation, business development and space rental services for knowledge-intensive companies. The Science Park community is home to many of Estonia’s top de-ep-tech companies, both startups and scaleups. The Science Park is also home to the European Space Agency’s accelerator ESA BIC.