News

The City of Tallinn and Tehnopol Science and Business Park’s joint smart city solutions competition, Tallinnovation, has reached a new milestone this year. While in previous years the contest has only offered testing opportunities within Tallinn, this time three Estonian companies will also get to pilot their solutions abroad – in the German city of Heidelberg.

The City of Tallinn, the Seoul Business Agency, and Startup Estonia signed a memorandum of understanding on 19 June with the aim of fostering cooperation between Estonian and South Korean startups and supporting two-way market entry.

Internationally acclaimed magazine Monocle has ranked Tallinn as the world’s best city for startups in its 2025 Quality of Life survey. The publication highlights Tallinn’s strong digital infrastructure, Estonia’s e-Residency programme, business-friendly environment, and affordable cost of living.

Tallinn City Government has adopted the detailed plan for the Krulli quarter, giving the green light for the redevelopment of the historic Franz Krull machine factory site in Põhja-Tallinn. The plan will turn the former industrial zone into a vibrant urban space that combines residential and business functions while preserving its heritage value.

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has released its 2024 global rankings for cities and countries in the conference industry. Tallinn has climbed to 57th place among cities worldwide, while Estonia ranks 44th among countries.

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.

In this forward-looking episode, we talk to Christopher Lyrhem , Chief Future Officer at Circular, about how artificial intelligence, usership models...

The cities of Tallinn and Valencia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic partnership focused on urban innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer. This marks Tallinn’s second initiative of this kind, following the agreement signed with Heidelberg earlier this May.

Through the Test in Tallinn programme, the city offers companies the opportunity to test their innovative smart city products and services in a real urban environment. In the most recent application round, three new projects were selected for piloting.

The City of Tallinn has adopted the strategy document “International Tallinn 2035”, aimed at strengthening the city’s international position, fostering strategic partnerships, and improving crisis preparedness. Cooperation with capitals in the Baltic Sea region on civil protection and resilience is one of the strategy’s key focus areas.