Innovating the Baltic Way: June 2024 Science & Technology Insights

Welcome to the very first edition of Baltic Science News! I’m thrilled to have you join me as I collect the latest and greatest from the science and tech scenes in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Each month, I’ll bring you the coolest stories, cutting-edge research, and exciting projects that are shaping the future of our region. Whether it’s Estonia’s innovative digital identity solutions, Latvia’s advancements in nanotechnology, or Lithuania’s booming startup culture, there’s always something amazing happening here. So, grab a cup of coffee, get comfortable, and let’s explore the incredible world of Baltic science together.

???Edinburgh registered seismic activity?in June.?And the cause??Taylor Swift - Love Story.?“[S]cientists said the ground moved in different ways depending on the song, […] ‘Love Story’ led to strong up-and-down movement, while ‘Shake It Off’ led to strong side-to-side movement […].”

???EU Elections are over, and according to an?article from Science|Business,?“[the]?results of the EU elections will not cause an 'earthquake' (see what I did there?) for research and innovation policies, as the largest political group, the European People's Party (EPP), is on course to maintain its dominance”. While?the industry is asking for change, in particular,?“to address regulatory barriers, boost investment and support knowledge transfer, to make Europe a more attractive destination for biotech companies.”

???Top international?scientists turning down UK jobs?over “tax on talent”. The UK’s Global Talent visa is 21x more expensive than France’s equivalent, and 34x than Germany’s.

???How does Innovation look like in the Baltics??Better than ever before! At least according to?Dealroom’s latest report.?“The Baltic region continues to beat the global trends, with the number of unicorns built in the Baltics or by the Baltic founders rising to 20, underscoring the exceptional talent and entrepreneurial spirit of its people.” Dealroom.co

???? Estonia ????

June was a month marked by competitions, beginning with a hackathon on?food production from wood waste?at the Life Sciences University, follow by 3 TalTech – Tallinn University of Technology ?student teams competing at EuroTeQaThon?in Paris, and?Estonian students ranking first in Creativity! Galtech , a fuel-cell company?won 100K of investment during a pitch competition.

A?new course at Tallinn University ?brings together scientific and entrepreneurial thinking to foster innovation. And in the same line, Estonia is about to introduce a new legislation to better link science with business. The Riigi Infosüsteemi Amet // Estonian Information System Authority (NCSC-EE) (RIA) has been presented with the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for the?digital identity wallet, to be fully functional by 2026. And in a giant leap for public health, the Estonian Biobank ?launched a portal with genetic data for almost 20% of its population. (Apparently, I have 1.76% of Neanderthal DNA, which explains a lot...)

?? Upcoming:?

a. Three-minute thesis competition?for doctoral students to be held on October 2nd;

b. An?internal meeting for digital twin enthusiasts and researchers?will be held at TalTech on September 4th;

c. The European Test Symposium,?the most important scientific conference on electronics testing?in the continent, will take place from May 26th?to 30th, 2025, at the Swiss?tel Tallinn, Estonia .

???? Latvia ????

Latvia is joining CERN ’s (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) Computing Network in another step towards Latvia's goal of becoming a full member of CERN. Joining CERN is?allowing scientists to perform complex functions?and Latvia's supercomputer resources will serve CERN's CMS (The Compact Muon Solenoid) experiment.?CMS experiments?are really cool! They involve dark matter and extra dimensions???.

Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte (Riga Technical University) (RTU) improved its position in the global universities ranking?and remained the leader in Latvia.?RTU has established a nanophotonics and nanostructured optoelectronics lab, technologies that are used to build from LEDs????to Quantum Super-computers??. And on the Bio????side of things, RTU signed a?Memorandum of Cooperation on the establishment of a biorefining ecosystem?that will make a significant contribution to the development of the bioeconomy.

In the?Green Hexagon’s Demo day 15 outstanding startup projects competed for the top prize, with Air by MossHub 's won with their cultivation and use of moss tiles. While ten Latvian women entrepreneurs have started participation in?EIT Food’s Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) business support program.

????? Lithuania ????

ILTE Lietuva , the national investment promotion institution, is?changing its name to?ILTE?- Investing in Lithuanian Economy. Viktorija Trimbel ,?pointed out recently?that Lithuania has?“many bright minds working in the best universities abroad, and their innovations could be commercialized by setting up companies in Lithuania?[…]?A great example of this is?Cambridge Phenotyping, a start-up founded by Lithuanian neuroscientists?[…]”?from Cambridge University.?“Last year, Lithuanian start-ups attracted a total of EUR 272 million”. Raft Capital Baltic Equity Fund, a private investment fund, has?raised €50 million in investments?and plans to invest in high-growth companies in Baltic with investments from the European Investment Fund (EIF) , INVEGA, Luminor Lietuva , and private investors.

Junior researcher Dr. Dorot?ja Vaitiekūnait? was?awarded the?Lithuanian Academy of Sciences’ (LAS) Young Scientists’ Scholarships for 2024–2025?for her work on phytoremediation. Julija Pupeik? , was?awarded for the best poster presentation?for her work on?e-textiles, fabrics with electric conductivity?that allow for sensing, biomedicine, and other applications.

On June 20th,?LAS held a general meeting of its members. There, Da-Chuan Cheng said:?“Tripartite cooperation (with the Latvians) has been ongoing since 2000, and now there are also bilateral projects between Lithuanian and Taiwanese scientists. Four new projects are funded each year. The agreement between the Research Council of Lithuania | Lietuvos mokslo taryba and the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan (NSTC), […] should ensure funding for up to ten research projects and two conferences each year. […] ?Projects in biotechnology and laser science are highly welcome […]?”

?? Upcoming:?

a. Klaip?da, invites to develop innovative technological and digital solutions for ports. On September 27th-29th, the International port technology hackathon PORTATHON will bring together experts in digitalization, cybersecurity, logistics, port technology, university communities and start-ups from Lithuania and abroad. Klaip?dos m. savivaldyb?/Klaipeda City Municipality

Thank you for joining me in this first edition of Baltic Science News! I hope you enjoyed exploring the fascinating developments across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as much as I did. There’s no shortage of innovation and exciting projects in the Baltic region, and I’m already looking forward to sharing more with you next month.

If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or topics you’d like to see covered, feel free to reach out.

Until then, stay curious and keep an eye on the incredible advancements happening right here in our backyard. See you next month!?