In 2023 Tallinn holds the title of the European Green Capital and showcases its biodiversity, sustainability governance and eco-innovation. In addition to being the European Green Capital, Tallinn will also be the capital of green technology of the world in November – one of the year’s highlights will be the GreenTech Week (13th-17th November) with events like Cleantech Forum Europe, Tallinn NEXPO, Smart Cities Convention, Green Governance Conference and Balanced Economy Forum.
The main goal of GreenTech Week is to promote cooperation between green technology specialists and dialogue between European cities and companies. Up to 500 investors, innovators and entrepreneurs of green technology will be in Tallinn.
“The European Green Capital Year gave us the push to bring a green technology event and one of Europe’s most important green technology forums to Estonia,” said Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart. He added that organizing the event creates an opportunity for Estonian green technology companies to present their ideas to specialists in the field, investors and the public sector. “We help both Tallinn and other Estonian companies reach the right people and get additional investments in the field of green technology,” Mr. Kõlvart concluded.
The most innovative ideas from Europe, Asia and the United States will be hosted in Tallinn during the international technology event NEXPO Tallinn (13th-17th of November). The exhibition is primarily intended for companies with innovative technologies and smart city solutions. One of the main focal themes of the expo is mobility, however, the event will cover also the topics of energy & power, materials & chemicals, resources & environment, agriculture & food and enabling technologies. Everyone who creates new sustainable value for the urban space is welcome to Tallinn in 2023!
“In the 13th century, Tallinn joined the Hanseatic league, a union of trading around the Baltic Sea, and Tallinn became an important trading point between East and West. With NEXPO want to restore this important role in a modern format – to be a meeting place for Eastern and Western companies. The more we are known as a business and meeting point, the more companies and entrepreneurs will find their way here,” Andres Kask, the project manager of NEXPO Tallinn said.
“We are very happy that Tallinn’s and Estonian own tech-giants have shown interest in participating at NEXPO, including Auvetech, Clevon, Comodule, Fibenol, Gelatex. At the end of summer, we had 80 companies in total, all of whom have an exciting product or service to show at the exhibition! We invite everyone who is still contemplating, to join NEXPO. And of course, everybody is welcome to the exhibition itself in November,” Mr Kask concluded.
In addition to NEXPO Tallinn, the Cleantech Forum Europe will take place 14-16 November. Cleantech forums are one of a kind and the longest running innovation events in the world. Since 2002, the events have brought together the most influential innovation leaders in cleantech – business leaders, CEOs of start-ups and growth companies, investors, government agencies and other actors from all areas of resource innovation.
GreenEST Summit will be held on November 13th. It is the largest green technology conference in the region, connecting and facilitating networking among the Estonian greentech industry through coordinated matchmaking.
The Smart Cities Convention (14-15th of November) will bring together city delegations from all over the world to the topic of public strategic innovation, the human-centered application of smart city tools, and linking the public and private sectors.
Balanced Economy Forum (November 17th) brings examples of future economic models from other parts of the world and to encourage Estonian decision-makers to conceptualize and implement a balanced economic model.
Thanks to these events, such potential business and know-how for companies opens, the like of which has not been seen in Tallinn or even Estonia before. More than 30 city delegations and over 2000 green technology enthusiasts from all over the world will be in Tallinn. You are invited to join us and be a part of the future city!
Think global – Test in Tallinn!
In addition, Tallinn invites companies to test their sustainable innovation solutions in the capital city of Estonia. The Test in Tallinn initiative welcomes companies around the world to test their smart solutions on the streets of Tallinn in three focus areas: mobility, energy efficiency and renewable energy. These areas with the greatest impact and legislative readiness, and where today’s cooperation between the city and local entrepreneurs has been the most effective.
Tallinn and Estonia already have a positive image both in terms of the ease of doing business, the creation and growth environment for start-up companies and digital society in general. The strength of Tallinn is our smallness, flexibility, and the technological openness of society.
The city supports the testing of innovation projects in the city environment for a period of up to 12 months, on a case-by-case basis. For the development and piloting of innovative solutions, the city offers assistance in finding suitable opportunities and locations (city properties, construction objects, buildings), identifying the relevant departments and contacts in the city organization for validating and implementing innovation projects, and, if possible, providing necessary open data for conducting test projects.
Already nine companies in two rounds have been selected to partner with the city. “Interest in the Test in Tallinn program has exceeded all expectations, 20 applications have been received in the first half of 2023, nine projects have been approved by the city to test their technology in Tallinn. People from different parts of the world are constantly writing to us with the desire to know more. Which is great. Test in Tallinn can be considered a success, as every innovation project contributes to Tallinn’s ambitions to be a smart city – a city with effective, sustainable management providing the best services to our residents and visitors,” said Mark-Emil Talivere, Innovation Expert at Tallinn City Enterprise Centre.
All innovators and greentech companies are welcome to test in Tallinn – applications can be submitted at any time.
