The City of Tallinn and Tehnopol have awarded a total of €145,000 to six Estonian companies through the Tallinnovation competition to develop and test innovative smart city solutions in Tallinn’s urban space. Tallinnovation is more than just a testing ground – it is a growth platform where technologies that create new quality in the urban environment and aim for the global market are born.

This year’s winning solutions aim to improve building energy efficiency and indoor climate, optimize urban greenery maintenance, enable data-driven infrastructure management, and shape a more inclusive urban environment. These are practical innovations whose impact goes beyond the streets of Tallinn – they are solutions that could become Estonia’s next global success stories.

According to Tallinn Deputy Mayor Margot Roose, Tallinnovation clearly demonstrates how a city can serve as a platform for companies to test and scale new solutions internationally. “Tallinnovation aligns Tallinn’s strategic goals with entrepreneurial potential. The result is solutions that not only improve the quality of the urban space, but also open doors to international markets for Estonian tech companies. The addition of international partnerships confirms that Tallinn’s innovation efforts inspire other cities as well,” said Roose.

The following projects received support:

• DeltaE Insenerid: dynamic energy monitoring system – €27,220
• Paul-Tech: soil monitoring station service – €28,500
• Urban Farm: smart indoor greenhouse – automatic, energy-efficient, and app-controlled plant device – €27,000
• Teede Tehnokeskus: data-driven infrastructure monitoring system – €20,760
• 7sense: AI-based accessible tourism and museum experience for visually impaired users – €20,760
• ThinFacility: AI-based indoor climate solution for public buildings – €20,760

Next step: testing in international urban environments

For the first time, Tallinnovation will offer Estonian companies the opportunity to test their solutions outside of Estonia. In cooperation with the City of Heidelberg in Germany, up to two companies will have the chance to pilot their technologies in an international urban environment. An additional export fund of €15,000 will support the implementation of these tests in Germany.

Agnes Roos, CEO of Tehnopol, said the submitted ideas demonstrate companies’ awareness of the importance of urban development and sustainable solutions. “The opportunity to test in a real urban setting helps bring innovations to people faster. Organizing this innovation fund supports Tehnopol’s mission to foster world-changing tech entrepreneurship – initiatives like this help Estonia’s smart solutions reach a wider public and contribute to a smarter, more sustainable future. The fact that the entire grant was distributed this year reflects the exceptionally high level of submitted ideas,” said Roos.

Now in its sixth edition, Tallinnovation continues to shape Tallinn into a smarter, more sustainable, and human-centric city. The competition strengthens collaboration between the city and tech companies, giving innovators a real opportunity to turn prototypes into viable solutions.

More information about the Tallinnovation competition is available at:
https://innovatsioonifond.tehnopol.ee/en/home/

Past winners can be found here.

Photo with representatives of the winning projects: from left: Teede Tehnokeskus (Marek Truu and Maarja Rannama), Deputy Mayor Margot Roose, DeltaE (Marti Arak), and Urban Farm (Artur Sirkel).

Additional photos: Paul-Tech and 7sense products.