IAS Business Academy

IAS Business Academy is an international cooperation project led by Tartu Science Park in collaboration with partners from Finland and Sweden. The program aims to support innovative drone and aerial service companies (Innovative Aerial Services – IAS) in scaling and internationalizing by providing them with knowledge, networks, and practical opportunities.

Companies from Estonia, Finland, and Sweden that have been operating for up to 10 years in the drone and aerial services sector, have market-ready solutions, and are looking to expand internationally are eligible to apply. Applicants are expected to have a motivated team and a commitment to actively participate throughout the 12-month program.

What is the program?

Tailored 12-month growth programme for Estonian, Finnish and Swedish companies of innovative aerial services (IAS).

What do we offer?

Academy programme (January – December 2026) consisting of:

implementation of cross-border demo projects in cooperation with end-users;
1:1 business development and IAS expert support from international experts;
study and trade missions in Sweden, Finland and Estonia;
participation at IAS industry events and fairs in Europe;
online thematic workshops;
networking between Finnish, Swedish and Estonian IAS companies and stake-holders.

The programme will support the growth of each participating company with up to 15 000 EUR.

Who can apply?

IAS companies, which:

Are registered in the area of the Central Baltic Programme
Are preferably founded in 2018 or later, in exceptional cases in 2015 or later*
Operate in the IAS sector
Focus on civil or dual-use solutions
Are in the start-up or scale-up phase
Have market-ready solutions
Aim to expand to international markets
Are ready to commit themselves to the 12-month programme
Are ready to cover up to 20% of their direct costs (1:1 expert support, implementation of demo projects, participation at international events and study trips).

*10% of the Academy participants can be older than 7 years.

Call timeline

Deadline for applications: 2 December 2025
Interviews with potential candidates: 8-12 December 2025
Announcing successful candidates: 15 December 2025
Start of the Academy (Batch 1): January 2026

Calendar of the Academy in 2026
The participating companies can use their support funding for the following.

Participation at the study trips in Sweden (January), Finland (February) and Estonia (April).
Participation at fairs and IAS events. For example, Amsterdam Drone Week (March), XPONENTIAL (Düsseldorf, March), Commercial UAV Forum (Amsterdam, April), International Drone Show (Odense, June).
Arrangement of cross-border demo projects in Estonia, Finland or Sweden: ASAP.
Receiving 1:1 expert support: throughout the year.

Program structure

IAS Business Academy will be carried out as two one-year programs:

Batch 1: January– December 2026
Batch 2: January– December 2027

Each batch will include around 25 companies, bringing the total to approximately 50 participating companies. In addition, around 40 companies will take part in the open events of the academy (e.g., online training sessions and seminars).