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In the second round of the Tallinn initiated program Test in Tallinn, a total of seven applications were submitted for project evaluation, and six of them were selected to move forward with for testing in the city environment.

In the year of the European Green Capital, Tallinn invites both Estonian and foreign companies to test their sustainable and products and services designed for a smart city in the capital. Estonian companies have already had the opportunity to test their products in Tallinn through the Tallinnovation program, which supports companies’ product development financially through a competitive measure. However, the new Test in Tallinn program offers the opportunity for innovation projects to be conducted in the city environment also to foreign companies.

“The goal of the Test in Tallinn project is to collaborate with the private sector in using the city space and system to test new technologies, services, and products. Currently, we have cooperation with nine companies from four countries, and we see that interest continues to grow,” said Joosep Vimm, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn.

The following six companies from the second round of projects advanced to the next phase:

Futugrid Technologies OÜ (Estonia) aims to test smart energy consumption management with the city of Tallinn. The objective is to integrate various electric devices in the city into a unified network, forming a quickly responsive power reserve that can be used as a restoration reserve for electric grid frequency.

muniAI (Israel) is developing a smart dashboard camera, designed to collect various data for identifying obstacles, road potholes, potential hazards, etc. The company aims to test its solution with Tallinna Linnatranspordi (TLT) vehicles, which will continuously collect constantly updated datasets from various locations. Tallinn is seen as a valuable opportunity to test the solution in diverse weather conditions, including snowy roads, fog, and heavy rainfall.

Elisa Corporation (Finland) is developing an innovative 360-degree camera with artificial intelligence-based combined software, designed to detect the current status of different objects and capture them through the camera lens. The company has previously successfully tested its solution for assessing the condition of maritime containers in Helsinki Harbor. The next step is for Elisa to test its technology at the Tallinna Linnatranspordi (TLT) depot, near the main gates, to assess the technology’s capability in evaluating the condition of TLT vehicles.

SSE Digital Services (UK) has developed an artificial intelligence-based hardware and software solution to collect data on traffic flows, pedestrian and cyclist numbers, and trajectories. SSE Digital Services and Intel’s technology require the unique locations and challenges of Tallinn to efficiently train the artificial intelligence.

Gruff Technology (Estonia) has developed a smart plug to reduce electricity consumption. The company aims to cooperate with the city of Tallinn to refine its value proposition, receive feedback for scaling, and test hypotheses regarding product usability.

Ampron OÜ (Estonia) intends to test LED information displays, placed at bus and train stops and other high-traffic areas, to disseminate crisis information. The company aims to obtain significant references from the city of Tallinn to expand to other urban environments, better understand the challenges of Tallinn in this field, and test the value proposition and solution of the product.

The first projects of Test in Tallinn received approval from the Innovation Commission in April. Nine applications were submitted for the first projects, and three of them were selected to move forward with: Green Gravels OÜ, a glass foam lightweight gravel manufacturing company; GScan OÜ, which develops solutions based on cosmic radiation for 3D modeling of objects; and Hydro Engineration OÜ, which deals with hydrogen-based cleaning for internal combustion engines.

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.

Additional information: Mark-Emil Talivere, Innovation Expert at Tallinn City Enterprise Center, mark-emil.talivere@tallinnlv.ee