A total of seven applications were submitted for the second phase of project evaluations in the Test in Tallinn program that was started in the European Green Capital year. Four of them were accepted for testing.

Tallinn invites both domestic and foreign companies to come and test their sustainable products and services suitable for a smart city. As of now, nine Test in Tallinn innovation projects have been launched. Additionally, four winning projects from the Tallinnovation contest have been granted permission to test their products in the city in addition to the product development grant. This brings the total number of current innovation projects to 13.
“The testing of new solutions in Tallinn has led to several success stories, such as Krattworks and Bikeep,” said Tallinn Deputy Mayor Joosep Vimm. “Some projects currently in the testing phase, or about to begin testing, under the Test in Tallinn programme involve digital sensors for rubbish bins, smart wave measuring devices for ports and a scanner that creates 3D models using atmospheric radiation.”

“Previous collaborations with entrepreneurs have highlighted the need for such a testing opportunity,” he continued. “This also presents an opportunity for the city to discover innovative solutions for developing a smart city, allowing us to provide improved services for our residents and visitors.”

Seven applications made it to the third stage of the Test in Tallinn contest, and four of these were selected for further development with the hope of soon reaching the testing phase. It’s worth noting that the innovation commission only approved foreign companies:

1. Urbanly (Argentina) – software for urban planners to help model different scenarios based on the availability of services, the price of real estate and other factors. The company aims to test its software using Tallinn’s base data to train its models and receive feedback from Tallinn city planners.
2. Sam Corporation (South Korea) – an innovative game that promotes creativity and speech skills among young people. The company aims to improve and further develop its product by collaborating with Tallinn.
3. XD Visuals (Finland) – a software solution that integrates planned and existing environments into a 6D hybrid information model. The company aims to test its solution using Tallinn’s base data to gain a better understanding of its capabilities.
4. MakeaBIM (Finland) – software based on artificial intelligence that creates BIM models from 2D sketches. The company aims to test its solution using sketches of buildings belonging to the City of Tallinn.

You can find all approved innovation projects here: www.tallinn.ee/et/tallinnovatsioon/testimisprojektid

Estonian businesses have had the opportunity to test their products in Tallinn as part of the Tallinnovation programme. This competition-based initiative provides financial support for companies’ product development. The Test in Tallinn programme, launched in the year of the European Green Capital, extends this opportunity to foreign businesses and offers them the chance to conduct innovation projects in an urban environment. So far, there have been applications from six foreign countries.

The city supports the testing of innovation projects for up to 12 months on a case-by-case basis. In order to develop and pilot innovative solutions, the city offers suitable opportunities and locations (city properties, objects, buildings). Additionally, it offers assistance in locating the appropriate authorities and contact persons within the city organisation for the validation and execution of innovation projects. If possible, the city also provides the necessary public data for conducting test projects.

Applications for Test in Tallinn can be submitted at any time. The innovation commission gathers quarterly to select new collaboration projects.

More information: Mark-Emil Talivere, Innovation Expert at the Enterprise Centre, [email protected]; www.tallinnovation/testintallinn