Drone companies from Estonia, Finland and Sweden can apply to IAS Business Academy, an international growth program that offers up to €15,000 in support, international mentoring and the opportunity to test their solutions together with end users. The application deadline for the program’s second batch is November 19, 2026.
The first batch of the program started in January this year, when 26 companies from Estonia, Finland and Sweden gathered for a three-day kickoff event in Norrköping, Sweden. Participants visited regional test sites, drone manufacturers and research labs, and got an overview of the Nordic drone landscape. Around 25 companies will again be selected for the second batch, which starts in January 2027.
“The first batch showed that even though the companies work in the same field, they are not necessarily solving the same problems. That creates a good foundation for cooperation, knowledge sharing and finding new business opportunities,” says Peeter Unt, Senior Project Manager at Sparkup Tartu Science Park. “For Estonian companies, the program offers a chance to reach Finnish and Swedish partners and potential customers, and to test their solutions in an international environment.”
The 26 companies in the first batch show how broad the drone sector is. Participants include companies collecting and analyzing data for the forest industry, wildlife monitoring solutions, airspace and drone traffic awareness software, developers of hydrogen-powered and tethered drones, drone electronics manufacturers, cargo drone developers and mixed reality environments for rehearsing aerial missions.
The year-long program connects companies with experts, customers and new markets. Participants receive individual business development and industry support from international experts, take part in cross-border demo projects and join study trips to Finland, Estonia and Sweden. The program also includes participation in European drone industry events, such as Amsterdam Drone Week, UAS Forum Sweden and the International Drone Show in Denmark, as well as monthly online workshops.
“Programs like IAS are more valuable to small companies than just a financial grant. Visits and meetings with industry representatives in Sweden and Finland have already led to new cooperation initiatives with our neighboring countries, even before the program has ended. In the drone sector, trust matters more than price, and the best way to build it is by meeting people face to face. Being part of the program means the first ‘background check’ has already been done,” says Ott-Kaarel Vään, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of HexTech Solutions.
The program covers the costs of agreed activities, with companies self-financing up to 20% of direct costs.
IAS, or innovative aerial services, covers both services delivered with drones, such as forest monitoring, and components and services developed for the drone industry. The program is open to companies up to 10 years old, registered in the Central Baltic program area, developing civil or dual-use solutions and ready to commit to the full year-long program.
The application deadline is November 19, 2026. Interviews with candidates take place from November 30 to December 9, and the selected companies will be announced on December 15.
The program is delivered by Sparkup Tartu Science Park, Business Tampere and Norrköping Science Park, located in one of Europe’s leading drone technology hubs.
Apply and read more: teaduspark.ee/en/ias-business-academy
The Academy is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Interreg Central Baltic Programme.
