Successful Contract Signing: Another Offshore Converter Platform to be Built in Rostock
50Hertz and NEPTUN SMULDERS Offshore Renewables (NSORe) have successfully concluded negotiations for the construction of an offshore converter station for the LanWin3 offshore grid connection project in the North Sea. With the signing of the contract, the way is now clear for the second major project whose key components are to be manufactured within NSORe’s production set-up, including NEPTUN shipyard in Rostock-Warnemünde and Smulders’ yard in Vlissingen. In June, 50Hertz had already awarded a billion-euro contract for the LanWin6 offshore grid connection system to the consortium NSORe and Siemens Energy. As with LanWin6, Siemens Energy will be responsible for supplying the high-voltage components for the LanWin3 project.
The volume for the contracts attributable to NSORe for the two offshore converter platforms amounts to approximately EUR 2.5 billion, the majority of which will be spent on production and services in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Stefan Kapferer, CEO of 50Hertz: “With our LanWin3 and LanWin6 projects, we are creating the conditions needed to securely integrate large volumes of offshore wind energy from the North Sea into the German power grid. As the client for 2 GW converter platforms, we require strong partners and robust industrial structures, both of which are available in Rostock-Warnemünde. With this second contract, we are further strengthening the entire value chain in the region and helping to advance the energy transition at sea. From a political perspective, the next step must be to further refine the Offshore Wind Energy Act to provide planning certainty and prevent delays in the construction of offshore wind farms.”
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Originally published on 19 Sep
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The XVIII UBC General Conference concluded in Słupsk and Dolina Charlotty after four days of lively discussions, practical workshops, and strategic debates on the role of cities in the future of the European Union. The event, which brought together 200 people from partner organizations, EU institutions, and UBC member towns, reaffirmed the network’s primary goal of creating a more resilient, innovative, and united Baltic region.
The tone was set by two high-level plenary sessions. The Opening Plenary included European and local leaders, such as Magdalena Adamowicz (Member of the European Parliament), Krystyna Danilecka-Wojewódzka (Mayor of Słupsk), Aleksandra Dulkiewicz (Mayor of Gdańsk, Member of CoR), Mantas Jurgutis (UBC President), Dr Gustav Lindström (Director General, CBSS), Henryka Mościcka-Dendys (Undersecretary of State, Polish MFA), Marcin Skwierawski (Deputy Marshal, Pomorskie Voivodeship), and video addresses from Themis Christophidou (DG Regio) and André Sobczak (Eurocities). One thread ran through all of their messages: cities need to be acknowledged as important collaborators in determining the future of Europe.
The second plenary explored cities’ access to EU funds within the MFF 2028–2035, featuring contributions from Kieran McCarthy (CoR), Claire Roumet (Energy Cities), Laura Omucińska (Słupsk), Linda Ozola (Riga), and Henrik Johansson (Växjö). The discussion highlighted both opportunities and challenges for cities in navigating EU programmes.
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Originally published on 7 Nov
The Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence (MILA) has developed the first practical guidelines for state and municipal institutions on the implementation and use of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in public administration. The guidelines will help institutions better understand the potential of AI and more clearly understand how to organise the process of introducing and applying AI solutions.
The document was created within the project “Development of Practical Guidelines for the Introduction of Artificial Intelligence in Institutional Work and Services,” in cooperation with AI Master Lab experts, commissioned by the State Administration School (VAS) and with methodological support from the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development Republic of Latvia (VARAM).
As MILA emphasises, the purpose of the guidelines is to provide a practical and easy-to-use framework for public institutions, enabling them to assess the suitability of AI use, prepare their organisations for the introduction of such technologies, and ensure a responsible, transparent and publicly accountable approach to the use of AI.
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Originally published on 10 Nov
New Impact Study: Maritime Travelers Bring Nearly One Billion Euros to the Helsinki Region’s Economy
A new study by the University of Helsinki shows that the Port of Helsinki is a major driver of both the economy and employment. The total annual economic impact of port operations amounts to €4.2 billion, generating over 39,000 jobs.
The Port of Helsinki serves as a key hub for both Finland’s international trade and passenger traffic. In 2024, 14 million tons of goods passed through the port – around 16 percent of Finland’s total foreign trade. Passenger volumes reached 9.5 million, accounting for 70 percent of all international passenger traffic through Finnish ports.
“The Port of Helsinki is not only a vital logistics hub serving the entire country and is also a significant contributor to the economy and job creation. Its influence can be seen widely across business performance and the city’s tax revenues,” says Ville Haapasaari, CEO of the Port of Helsinki.
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Originally published on 6 Nov
Kilo Health, a healthtech creator and investor, is expanding beyond health as it transforms into Kilo – marking a new ambition to accelerate startup growth through increased investment and its internal business development ecosystem, Kiloverse.
Žygimantas Surintas, who joined the company a year and a half ago, remains the head of the Kilo group of companies. According to him, Kilo and Kiloverse will separate investment activities from day-to-day operations – a natural step that reflects the company’s growing maturity and long-term strategy for sustainable growth.
“Over the past twelve years, we have created numerous health and wellness solutions – from digital apps to physical products that help millions of consumers around the world live healthier, better quality lives. We are also developing products in other areas including beauty and personal development. Now our goal is not only to create ourselves, but also to invest more actively in startups, helping them to develop global businesses better and faster,” says the CEO of Kilo.
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Originally published on 10 Nov
In the framework of a continuous dialogue with the Italian Ambassador to Poland and his staff, on November 4, 2025, Finnlines Line Manager and Managing Director, Rederi AB Nordö-Link, Antonio Raimo discussed in Warsaw the shipping company’s expanding operations and investments in Poland. Finnlines has operated routes between Poland and Finland for three decades and, last year, launched a new connection for freight and passengers to Sweden.
“Our new investments have enabled us to expand our presence in Poland with additional offices and larger local teams. We are also pleased to further strengthen and broaden our connections across the region. We also had the opportunity to discuss the current and upcoming challenges of the shipping industry, both in Poland and across the Baltic Sea, to ensure the continued development and success of Poland’s maritime network and the security of supply,” says Antonio Raimo, Finnlines Line Manager.
Strong growth on Poland–Sweden route
This summer, passenger numbers on Finnlines’ route between Świnoujście and Malmö rose by 38% compared to the same period last year, highlighting the growing interest in travelling across the sea between the two countries.
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Originally published on 5 Nov
From 27 October to 7 November, NATO’s Largest Digital Backbone Experiment “DiBaX 2025” was taking place at military base “Ādaži” and virtually across several NATO nations. This year, “DiBaX” strategically focused on the use of unmanned vehicles in contested environments and the application of artificial intelligence in detection and decision-making tasks.
‘”DiBaX” is the only military technology experiment of this scale that NATO has been conducting in Latvia for already four years. This demonstrates the advancement of our defence industry in the field of 5G technologies, the National Armed Forces’ contribution to innovation development and Latvia’s defence infrastructure capacity to host such high level experiments,” underlines Andris Spruds, Minister of Defence of Latvia.
The digital backbone is a vital component of NATO’s infrastructure, enabling connectivity for complex Multi-Domain Operations. During the DiBaX, the latest technological advancements was demonstrated and assessed for integration into real-world environments to enhance interoperability and efficiency among Allied Forces.
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Originally published on 7 Nov
Aampere, an E-mobility startup, has closed a €1.6 million funding round led by Trind Ventures, with participation from Gimic Ventures and several experienced business angels from the mobility sector. Aampere will use the funding to accelerate product development and expand its European market presence beyond Scandinavia and the Benelux region.
The European market for used electric vehicles remains highly fragmented and largely analog, characterized by opaque processes, manual handling, and isolated national solutions. Aampere is breaking these outdated structures by creating a fully digital, Europe-wide platform for selling used electric vehicles. With this, the startup is establishing a sustainable and efficient circular economy for e-mobility and driving Europe’s electrification forward.
Aampere provides a digital platform where private and commercial sellers can sell their used electric vehicles across Europe within 48 hours.
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Originally published on 5 Nov
The first Lithuanian laser in space, contributions to Mars atmosphere missions, and joint projects with the European Space Agency (ESA) in quantum technologies – these are among the achievements of Integrated Optics, a Lithuanian laser company. Its compact lasers have opened doors to space, supported by the Innovation Agency.
Compactness and proven reliability led a University of Vienna mission to choose an Integrated Optics laser.
“When we talk about space technologies, every extra gram of a device significantly increases costs, so extremely efficient and compact solutions are required. The same applies in the field of quantum computing – one of the barriers there is the size of optical instruments. Our laser, which is the smallest on the market, is perfectly suited for quantum computation experiments in space. In the future, if everything goes according to plan, another of our lasers will head to Mars to study its atmosphere using a special LiDAR instrument,” says Evaldas Pabrėža, CEO of Integrated Optics.
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Originally published on 6 Nov
The Port of Tallinn and Ports of Stockholm signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 4th of November in Tallinn to launch the Swed-Est Green Collaboration, a joint initiative aimed at promoting sustainable and fossil fuel free maritime activities between Estonia and Sweden, primarily at the harbours connecting Tallinn–Stockholm and Paldiski–Kapellskär routes.
According to Valdo Kalm, CEO of the Port of Tallinn, the collaboration aims to reduce the environmental impact of maritime transport while offering passengers and cargo operators future-oriented, sustainable solutions.
“This partnership provides both ports with a strategic advantage, making us more attractive to shipowners, passengers and cargo operators who are looking for sustainable travel and transport solutions. It also opens up opportunities for developing new business models in fossil fuel free maritime transport, for joint scientific and applied studies, and for applying for EU and other funding programmes,” Kalm said.
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Originally published on 5 Nov
For Estonia, there’s no neighbour as strategic and important as Finland — aside from the historical and cultural ties, the country leads in the ranking of trade and investment partners. Strengthening these ties is more important than ever.
Last week, Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo Erkki Keldo led a dynamic Estonian business delegation to Finland on November 3-4, bringing together leading tech companies and industry leaders to deepen cross-border partnerships and explore new opportunities in innovation and manufacturing.
The two-day visit centred on the Finnish-Estonian Business Forum “Smart Neighbours: Future of Industry,” where Ministers Keldo and Finland’s Sakari Puisto talked about the robust economic partnership between the two nations. The forum featured a standout panel discussion with industry heavyweights Risto Siilasmaa (WithSecure, F-Secure), Sten Tamkivi (Plural, Skaala), and Jussi Herlin (KONE), moderated by Kirke Maar from AI & Robotics Estonia.
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Originally published on 7 Nov