Hanwha Aerospace to invest €100M in Estonia’s defence industry
Estonia cooperates extensively both within NATO and with a wider block of allies. This week, South Korean defence giant Hanwha Aerospace has announced a direct investment package of nearly €100M in Estonia, with the total economic impact — including joint R&D activities with local companies — projected to reach up to €260M. The investment aims to strengthen Estonia’s technological sovereignty and establish the country as a regional hub for territorial defence systems.
The announcement builds on a deepening bilateral relationship. In late 2024, Estonia signed a €290M contract with Hanwha to procure at least six Chunmoo multiple-launch rocket systems alongside three types of munitions. Hanwha had previously delivered six K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers to the Estonian Defence Forces, making it one of Tallinn’s most significant defence procurement partners. Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur noted that Hanwha is also among the potential bidders for Estonia’s upcoming naval overhaul.
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Originally published on 6 Mar
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Baltic Ground Services (BGS) has extended its contract with the Latvian airline airBaltic for more than a year. Under the renewed agreement, BGS will supply fuel to airBaltic aircraft at two airports: Palanga and Riga.
Effective November 1, 2025, the agreement confirms that BGS will remain responsible for fueling airBaltic aircraft at Palanga (PLQ) and Riga (RIX) airports until the end of 2026. In Riga, BGS will provide fueling services for a defined part of airBaltic’s operations, in accordance with the airline’s procurement results.
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Originally published on 8 Jan
Peili Vision has partnered with a West Yorkshire school to show how targeted interventions can significantly improve children’s attention and executive function.
Over 12 weeks, a local school ran an executive function intervention with 10 students. Assessments using Peili Vision’s EFSim tool, conducted before and after the programme, revealed that 66% of participants advanced from the “severe” to the “moderate” category for attention and executive function. This highlights the substantial potential for tracking and improving cognitive skills in young people facing ADHD-related challenges.
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Originally published on 7 Jan
SIA Rimi Baltic has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire 100% of Havi Logistics SIA, marking a significant step toward strengthening its supply chain capabilities across the Baltic region.
The transaction is currently subject to approval by the Competition Council.
Rimi Baltic is acquiring Havi Logistic SIA, which owns shares of Havi Logistics UAB and Havi Logistics OU in all three Baltic countries, including approximately 800 employees who will join the Rimi Baltic Group.
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Originally published on 7 Jan
Today, the Government approved the National Development Plan of the Energy Sector until 2035 (ENMAK 2035), drafted by the Ministry of Climate. The plan sets the goals of ensuring energy security, increasing national competitiveness, and facilitating the transition to a clean energy economy.
Preparation for the plan began in 2021. The final document provides an overview of how Estonia’s energy sector reached its current state, the steps to be taken leading up to 2035, and a vision for 2050. It also establishes general and sub-objectives and planned activities for renewable energy, gas supply, oil shale energy, as well as heating and cooling.
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Originally published on 8 Jan
Insta delivers major electrical and instrumentation installation contract for ŠKO-ENERGO’sheating plant modernization project in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. ŠKO-ENERGO is a comprehensive energy supplier providing electricity and heat to Škoda Auto’s production facilities as well as heat to the city of Mladá Boleslav. The project is one of the largest energy sector modernization initiatives in the Czech Republic.
Insta’s contract is part of a broader delivery by Valmet, which includes the modernization of two existing circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers and the delivery of one new bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) boiler. Fluidized bed boiler technology improves the plant’s energy efficiency and reduces emissions. The investment supports sustainable energy production and meets growing environmental requirements.
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Originally published on 7 Jan
The new year is already well underway and the next cohort of specialised accelerator programmes is about to kick off. Before 2026 fully gains momentum, it’s a good moment to look back: what did 2025 look like for Tehnopol Startup Incubator, and – most importantly – what kind of impact did it have on our startups and the wider ecosystem?
2025 was a fast-paced year by the numbers. We received 578 applications across our accelerator programmes, and 115+ companies joined our programmes during the year. A clear trend is that new cohorts are becoming more mature from day one: teams enter the programme with sharper focus, more realistic market validation and a clearer development roadmap.
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Originally published on 7 Jan
The State Education Development Agency has drawn up Methodological Guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in the field of education. These guidelines offer practical and comprehensive support for general and vocational education teachers to facilitate meaningful use of AI in the learning process.
The methodological guidelines set out eight principal directions for integrating artificial intelligence into education, including the skilled use of AI tools, planning the learning process, content creation, assessment, professional development, and teaching students about artificial intelligence. The guidelines underline the ethical and safe use of artificial intelligence, as well as promoting academic integrity.
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Originally published on 6 Jan
Iute Group, a European digital-first banking group, is striving to enter the Ukrainian market by establishing a regulated bank with a strong focus on digital banking services for everyday financial needs. The market entry is to be based on an agreement with Ukraine’s state-owned Deposit Guarantee Fund following approval by the National Bank of Ukraine. Under the agreement, Iute Group is to acquire a banking license held by a bridge bank together with a selective transfer of low-risk assets and corresponding retail deposit liabilities with a total volume of approximately EUR 4 million from RWS Bank to Iute Group’s newly established bank entity in Ukraine.
The purchase will be financed from existing Group liquidity. Iute Group applies a strict investment discipline and expects the net loss of the Ukrainian banking operations in 2026 not to exceed EUR 3 million.
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Originally published on 6 Jan
LTG Infra, an infrastructure company belonging to the LTG Group and responsible for implementing the Rail Baltica project in Lithuania, has announced an open international tender for design services for the section from Panevėžys to the Lithuanian–Latvian border. The total length of this section is approximately 54 km.
In 2025, LTG Infra signed contracts for construction works on a 114 km section from Kaunas to Panevėžys, where preparatory and construction activities are underway, including superstructure works on the most advanced 9 km section. Design work is also in progress on the section between the Lithuanian–Polish border and Kaunas, where nearly 100 km of railway will be modernized.
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Originally published on 5 Jan
In 2025, 3,488,104 passengers travelled through Tallinn Airport. Passenger numbers at regional airports also increased, resulting in a record total of 3,581,620 air passengers using airports in Estonia.
“The past year proved to be one of the most successful in the history of AS Tallinn Airport and its subsidiaries. Although Estonia’s economic situation has been challenging in recent years, demand for travel has shown no signs of decline. This is reflected in Tallinn Airport’s passenger numbers, which were only 4,000 passengers, or just 0.1%, below the previous year. At the same time, passenger numbers at Tartu Airport grew rapidly, meaning that the total number of passengers at Estonian airports reached an all-time high,” said Riivo Tuvike, Chairman of the Management Board of AS Tallinn Airport.
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Originally published on 5 Jan