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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Uspacy, a Tallinn, Estonia-based SaaS startup that provides a digital workspace for small and medium-sized businesses, has raised €420,000 in pre-seed funding.
The round included an investment of €250,000 from Startup Wise Guys, with contributions from several Ukrainian business angels. An additional €170,000+ was secured in the form of grants from Google for Startups, Seeds of Bravery, Glovo Startup Lab, and the Ukrainian Startup Fund, supported by UMAEF.
The investment will be used to develop the product further and expand active marketing, primarily in Ukraine and Poland. The team aims to confirm the ability to scale business in international markets and demonstrate significant foreign attraction.
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Originally published on 31 Aug
Discussions have been increasing in Lithuania about how artificial intelligence will change learning – but BBright is already doing it. The team founded just a few years ago is now helping thousands of school pupils in Lithuania to learn maths more efficiently, and the Elicėjus platform they are developing has already been recognised internationally. It has been recently selected for the Google.org-funded Grow AI Accelerator and received USD 140 000.
The idea to create a personalised learning platform came from personal experience rather than from market analysis, since both Mantas Vičius, the co-founder of the platform, and his classmates struggled with maths at school. “We didn’t know where to start – the gaps kept piling up, until eventually we didn’t know where exactly we were stuck,” he says. Having subsequently examined the national statistics, they realised that it was a systemic problem: 35% of graduates fail the maths exam and 40% fail the evaluation of basic education achievements.
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Originally published on 18 Apr
From 7 to 10 April this year, the global passenger cruise industry met in the heart of Miami for the 40th edition of Seatrade Cruise Global – the largest and most important event in the cruise shipping calendar. The Port of Gdańsk, which traditionally represents Poland on the international stage, had to be among this group of exhibitors and business people from all over the world.
Although the Seatrade Cruise Global trade fair is mainly associated with Florida today, its origins date back to 1985, when the first edition of this event was held in New York. The anniversary fair brought together representatives of the largest shipowners, ports and tourist organisations, who discussed the future of passenger cruises, sustainable development and technological innovations.
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Originally published on 18 Apr
Ignitis Renewables, an international green energy company, has completed the first stage of the largest wind energy project in Lithuania and the Baltics, Kelmė wind farm. The 114-megawatt (MW) Kelmė wind farm I has successfully reached the commercial operations date.
“Kelmė wind farm I is the largest wind energy project implemented by Ignitis Renewables in Lithuania to date. This is one of the cornerstone projects that will allow us to move firmly towards our main goal of reaching 4–5 gigawatts (GW) of installed green generation capacity by 2030. This stage marks the increase in local electricity generation as well as the creation of a more secure energy system domestically and across the region,” says Darius Maikštėnas, CEO of Ignitis Group.
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Originally published on 17 Apr
The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and the Swedish Gender Equality Agency (Jämställdhetsmyndigheten) have published a new roadmap aimed at strengthening Sweden’s response to trafficking for forced labour and labour exploitation.
The publication, Effectively Identifying, Disrupting and Countering THB for Labour Exploitation: A Roadmap for Sweden, offers practical guidance based on national and international research, study visits, and expert consultations.
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Originally published on 16 Apr
Estonian offshore wind opportunities unite investors from all around Europe. Estonian energy company Sunly has joined forces with France’s VALOREM Group and Norway-based Deep Wind Offshore to develop the Tuul Energy project, reports Oedigital.
The collaboration, announced on April 10, will focus on developing a massive 250 km² area near Saaremaa Island. The project aims to install bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines with a potential capacity exceeding 1 gigawatt (GW), enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes.
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Originally published on 15 Apr
Lithuania’s fast-growing gaming ecosystem is getting another level-up: the second edition of the GameTech Accelerator has officially kicked off with 10 new studios ready to take their game ideas global.
“Lithuania’s game scene is buzzing with creativity and potential. The country’s first dedicated GameTech accelerator proves that with the right mentorship and international exposure, our local teams can become competitive on a global stage,” said Karolina Urbonaitė, Head of Startup Lithuania at Innovation Agency Lithuania. “We’re proud to be part of this initiative that’s not only accelerating game studios but also reshaping our startup ecosystem.”
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Originally published on 15 Apr
Riga Technical University (RTU) Science and Innovation Centre (ZIC) invites applications for participation in the defence industry hackathon EUDIS Defence Hackathon 2025 by May 5. The hackathon will take place from May 9 to 11 at RTU Rezekne Academy.
The goal of the hackathon is to promote innovation development in the defence sector, focusing on the creation of innovative equipment and software solutions for Ukraine’s defence needs.
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Originally published on 14 Apr
Luleå University of Technology is taking a unified approach to AI development through a strategic action plan that encompasses the entire organisation. The aim is to integrate AI into its core mission while ensuring the technology is used ethically, legally, and intelligently.
“AI is here to stay and affects all of us, regardless of our role. This is one of the biggest technological changes we face – perhaps comparable to the introduction of personal computers. We need to understand it and use it in a responsible and smart way,” says Pär Weihed, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Luleå University of Technology.
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Originally published on 14 Apr
While foreign direct investment flows across Europe dropped in 2024, Finland held its line in attracting international companies. Sustainability took center stage, with investments driving cleaner solutions for energy, manufacturing and recycling. AI and imaging were in the mix too.
According to Invest in Finland’s monitoring service, foreign companies established or acquired 231 new entities in Finland during 2024 – a decrease of just 6% from the previous year. Over the same period, foreign-owned companies already operating in Finland made 130 follow-up investments.
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Originally published on 14 Apr