At the beginning of last year, Tallinn launched the Test in Tallinn programme, initiated by Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart, inviting companies to test new technologies in urban spaces and systems. The focus was on tests in urban mobility, renewable energy and energy saving. To date, a total of 37 test project applications have been received, of which 21 have been accepted.

According to Joosep Vimm, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, international interest in the programme has been growing steadily during its first year. "Tallinn offers a suitable environment for testing, open data and a solid city partner to facilitate the process," said Vimm. "With Test in Tallinn, we have created a systematic approach to testing innovative solutions in the city. The launch of the programme has been successful and has allowed us to develop the city's practices in a way that makes us an even better partner to businesses. As a result of the tests, we hope to find new technologies that could be of use to the city as well in the future. The potential can be seen in the example of the GScan muon or cosmic radiation scanner, which was tested on the façade of the main building of the city government."

Tallinn has set itself the ambition to make the capital an attractive place to test different (green) technologies, intending to help both domestic and foreign companies to reach other urban environments globally with their products and services. A total of 37 applications have been received, 18 from Estonian companies and the remaining 11 from various foreign countries, including Argentina, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Finland, the Netherlands and others. While the focus is on urban mobility, renewable energy and energy saving, the programme is also open to other test projects, such as novel materials or educational technologies.

Nine projects currently underway in the Test in Tallinn programme:

XD Visuals is a software solution that combines planned and current environments into a 6D hybrid information model. The company is looking to test its solution using Tallinn's data to obtain the necessary references for scaling and to test the capabilities of the model.

Electroair specialises in the verification and development of the current functionality of electric car charger testing. The aim of the test is to develop an OCP 2.0.1 JSON protocol that enables V2G (vehicle-to-grid) and SmartCharging charging. In addition, they wish to test the Dynamic 1 (Dynamic Load Management) solution that avoids overloading of the site's electricity infrastructure.

Picapac's plan is to test 20 small-scale smart post boxes and their use in urban areas.

Cubedai would like to test an energy-saving solution on some buildings in Tallinn to confirm a hypothesis and find a reference for scaling up.

Collaborall's aim is to learn from the Estonian example, improve the product and get feedback from key people in the digital construction industry in Tallinn.

Spödy wants to test, improve and adapt a sports learning games solution for children aged 3-7.

Pocoplay is testing the generation of employee training materials using artificial intelligence. Interviews and prototyping will be carried out in various city institutions over a period of nine months.

Caeli BV (the Netherlands) is testing the possibility of using satellite data to monitor and visualise air quality. The solution will help Tallinn to test the availability of data and its understandability and provide an opportunity to fight climate change.

GScan OÜ develops 3D modelling solutions based on cosmic radiation in cooperation with NICP, iCV Lab and the University of Tartu. The company wanted to test its technology on listed buildings in Tallinn, where it is important that the analyses do not damage the heritage value.

The city supports testing on a case-by-case basis for innovation projects lasting up to 12 months. After the initial validation and analysis of the project application submitted by the entrepreneur, the project will be referred to an evaluation panel of city authorities and experts (e.g. Tehnopol), who will assess the project's innovativeness, economic and social impact, sustainability and applicability in cooperation with the City of Tallinn. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

More information about Test in Tallinn and how to apply: www.tallinnovation.ee/testintallinn.