News

Estonia ranked 11th among EU member states in the newly released 2026 European Innovation Scoreboard and kept its place in the Strong Innovator group, with a summary innovation index equal to 108.6% of the EU average. In its press release, the European Commission said the EU’s overall innovation performance has risen by 11.6 percentage points since 2019 and by 1.7 points over the past year. For Estonia, the new country profile shows a system that continues to outperform the EU average, while still sitting slightly below the Strong Innovator group average of 113.9%. Estonia also ranked 15th across the EU and neighbouring countries covered by

Kristel Oitmaa, the new head of Enterprise Estonia’s (EIS) Brussels office, helps Estonian companies better understand and use opportunities related to EU research and development — whether it is funding, strategic information, international cooperation, or access to key networks. In this interview, Kristel explains what the Brussels office actually does, what her role involves, and what Estonian companies can do to become more visible at the European level. While EIS export advisors focus on market entry, Kristel supports Estonian companies in navigating the European strategic landscape. She helps them use European opportunities in a more informed and effective way, ensuring

This October, Estonian deep tech startups will head to Singapore as part of Startup Estonia’s Nordic Deep Tech Valley program to take part in the Nordic Singapore Innovation Days 2025 — a joint initiative with Finland and Sweden. According to Kati Pärn, Nordic Partnerships Lead at Startup Estonia, the event will connect Nordic startups with Singaporean corporations and investors to foster business opportunities and partnerships in green and sustainable innovation. “Our aim is to provide Estonian startups operating in the complex and highly competitive deep tech sector with a concrete opportunity to secure new investors, partners, and clients in Asian

At Estonian Defence Week, one of the most thought-provoking sessions was the panel on Cross-Border Innovation Cooperation, featuring insights from Jaan Kokk (Superangel), Kati Pärn (Startup Estonia), and Mika Rantakokko (VTT Finland). The discussion highlighted the urgent need for regional collaboration in defence innovation and the unique strengths that Estonia and Finland bring to the table. Estonia +  Finland = Regional Superpower? Estonia’s agility and experimental mindset, especially in the startup sector, complements Finland’s structured and stability-focused approach. This synergy creates a powerful foundation for joint innovation programs, particularly in defence and dual-use technologies. As Kati Pärn noted, “Estonia is

From September 15–19, representatives of Estonia’s deeptech startup ecosystem visited Cambridge Tech Week to explore what makes Cambridge the UK’s leading hub for science-based spinouts. The Estonian delegation included Mariann Proos and Inga Kõue from Startup Estonia, Kadri Sundja from UniTartu Ventures, Mihkel Tammo from the University of Tartu, and Rasmus Kalep from Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech). The goal of the visit was to learn from Cambridge’s experience and bring back insights to strengthen Estonia’s own science-based entrepreneurship landscape. Key Takeaways Cambridge’s success didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of 30 years of intentional ecosystem building, strategic decisions, and

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