{"id":20966,"date":"2026-11-05T12:42:32","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T09:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/?p=20966"},"modified":"2026-11-06T14:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T11:04:10","slug":"where-do-the-technologies-of-the-future-come-from-scientists-and-entrepreneurs-need-to-find-a-common-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/where-do-the-technologies-of-the-future-come-from-scientists-and-entrepreneurs-need-to-find-a-common-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Where do the technologies of the future come from? Scientists and entrepreneurs need to find a common language"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Future technologies are not born overnight, nor only in laboratories. At a panel discussion held on <\/span><\/span>October <\/span><\/span>22<\/span><\/span><\/span> at the University of Tartu Museum on Toome Hill, speakers explored how research becomes a company and why that journey so often stalls halfway. The room was full, with entrepreneurs from different fields, public sector <\/span>representatives<\/span> and people connected to the university in one way or another.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

The panel featured T\u00f5nu Esko<\/strong>, Vice Rector for Development and Professor at the University of Tartu, Pille-Riin <\/strong><\/span>Meerits<\/span><\/strong>, Head of Incubation Services at <\/span>Sparkup<\/span> Tartu Science Park, and Peeter Matson, <\/strong><\/span><\/span>CEO of the beekeep<\/span>ing company <\/span>N<\/span>ordmel<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0and co-founder of <\/span>HiveNavigator<\/span>. Sigrid Rajalo<\/strong>, Deputy Secretary General for Innovation and Economic Development at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, moderated the discussion.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

According to Rajalo, Estonia has a good starting point. \u201cEstonia does world-class research,\u201d she said. Two new unicorns have <\/span>emerged<\/span> in <\/span>a short time<\/span>, both of which are deep tech companies. As a result, Estonia still ranks first in the world in unicorns per capita. In the discussion, deep tech referred to research-based businesses with global potential.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The beekeepers who knocked on many doors<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Peeter Matson described what this journey actually looks like. HiveNavigator grew out of a practical need. Matson and his former competitor, now his partner, keep around 3,000 beehives between them, and they still do the work much the same way as 170 years ago. Finding no suitable solution anywhere in the world, the beekeepers started knocking on university doors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cA university has many doors, and we <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span> know <\/span><\/span>whose door we were standing behind<\/span><\/span><\/span>. At first, we <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span> really under<\/span>stand <\/span>the scientists, and they <\/span>didn\u2019t<\/span> understand us<\/span>,\u201d Mats<\/span>on recalled. With each meeting, the idea became clearer, and they eventuall<\/span>y found the right partne<\/span>rs at the Uni<\/span>versity of Tartu. <\/span>Hi<\/span>veNaviga<\/span>tor<\/span> is now part of the <\/span>DeepTech<\/span> Accelerator, working to translate signals from the hive into human language. Their neural network can already predict problems about eighteen days before they happen.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Looking back, Matson would not <\/span>change a thing<\/span>. \u201cWe got here because of those mistakes. Every one of them was necessary for the next step.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

When a solution goes looking for a problem<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

T\u00f5nu Esko pointed to a pattern that repeats on both sides. Scientists often get stuck on a single discovery and start looking for a problem to fit it, without talking to customers or the market. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, often come looking for a solution to a problem they have defined themselves, even though the real bottleneck may lie elsewhere. In Esko\u2019s view, solutions should be sought together, and this requires places where the two sides can meet. For example, he mentioned the ADAPTER network, where a company can describe its problem and have it reach all Estonian universities.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Pille-Riin Meerits confirmed that she sees the same pattern in the accelerator. <\/span>\u201cScientists find it really uncomfortable to step out of the lab and talk to people they don\u2019t know, who may give them uncomfortable feedback,\u201d she said.<\/span> But once teams are sent out to talk to customers, the idea often changes and fits market needs better.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

A scientist doesn\u2019t have to become a businessperson<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Another challenge, according to Meerits, is that scientists split their time between research and business, leaving the idea without a clear driver. \u201cYou can\u2019t build a company by working on it only when you\u2019re not at a conference,\u201d she noted. A co-founder with business experience can be the answer. The deep tech program has organized two online matchmaking events where startup founders can look for co-founders. The first drew around 50 participants, the second more than 80, and it is about to produce its first co-founder match for a team from the Estonian University of Life Sciences. The plan is to hold these meetups twice a year.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

According to Esko, a <\/span>scientist<\/span> founder should often remain the head of research, with a professional entrepreneur at their side. Ideally, the scientist continues working at the university, holds equity in the company, and <\/span>leads<\/span> the science<\/span>. The University of Tartu has a network of entrepreneurship agents whose goal is to map researchers\u2019 ideas. Researchers can also take <\/span>an<\/span> <\/span>industry<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0knowledge transfer leave<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0of up to three years, working temporarily in a company while keeping their academic position at t<\/span>he univ<\/span>ersity. Esko also <\/span>floated<\/span> the idea of a venture studio at the university, where experienced entrepreneurs would take researchers\u2019 ideas forward.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Trust is built on the factory floor<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Matson\u2019s suggestion that scientists spend a few months working inside companies sparked a lively discussion. Drawing on his experience in the wood industry, he described how they tried, as far as possible, to have every new employee rotate through all production positions during their first three months. \u201cWhen you spend three months with those people, you see the pain points with your own eyes. If I were a scientist, I\u2019d come up with a lot of smart ideas there.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

An audience member added that everything of value is built on trust, and that this is how the trust gap between entrepreneurs and scientists can be bridged. Listeners also raised the question of research funding. Esko pointed out that basic research is essential, but the Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications both offer several measures specifically for cooperation between scientists and companies. Rajalo added: \u201c<\/span><\/span>The world <\/span>hasn\u2019t<\/span> run out of funding<\/span><\/span><\/span>. The que<\/span>stion is h<\/span>ow to find the people who <\/span>truly want<\/span> to build knowledge-intensive businesses.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span><\/p>

The direction is right, but the road is long<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

According to Rajalo, the trends are positive. Companies\u2019 investment in research and development is growing, and the private sector leads R&D investment in Estonia. The value added of companies that took part in the<\/span>\u00a0Applied Research <\/span>Program<\/span>\u00a0is more than 120% of the EU average, compared <\/span>with<\/span> about 58% in the manufacturing industry.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Esko reminded the audience that deep tech companies <\/span>grow<\/span> slowly. \u201cWe are in a better place than ever before, but far from ideal.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The key takeaway was that Estonia has both world-class research and entrepreneurial people, but a gap between these two worlds still needs to be deliberately narrowed. All the panelists reached the same conclusion, but through different routes. Future technologies are not born only in the lab or only in a company. They are born when scientists and entrepreneurs begin to understand each other, look for solutions <\/span>together<\/span> and are willing to take wrong turns along the way.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

HiveNavigator\u2019s<\/span> story showed that this kind of cooperation can begin with a single bold knock on a university door. But it only becomes a company when both sides <\/span>invest<\/span> time, <\/span>patience,<\/span> and trust. The scientist <\/span>doesn\u2019t<\/span> have to become a businessperson, and the entrepreneur <\/span>doesn\u2019t<\/span> have to become a scientist. What matters is that the idea is backed by a team where each side can do what it does best. Estonia is in a better position than ever to develop research-based entrepreneurship, but the next step depends on how boldly scientists and entrepreneurs move <\/span>toward<\/span><\/span> each other.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Do you have a research-based idea that could become a company? Applications for the next round of the <\/span>DeepTech<\/span> Accelerator are open until November 8. <\/span><\/span>Learn more about the DeepTech Accelerator<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/strong>
<\/em><\/p>

Does your company face a challenge that requires help from scientists? Contact the University of Tartu Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0or <\/span>submit<\/span> a request to the ADAPTER network<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Sparkup Tartu Science Park and the University of Tartu organized the panel discussion as part of the Estonian <\/span>DeepTech<\/span> Startup Network. The network brings together two science parks and three universities, and its goal is to help research-based ideas grow into companies.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Future technologies are not born overnight, nor only in laboratories. At a panel discussion held on October 22 at the University of Tartu Museum on Toome Hill, speakers explored how research becomes a company and why that journey so often stalls halfway. The room was full, with entrepreneurs from different fields, public sector representatives and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":20782,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[260,193],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deeptech","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20966"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20999,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20966\/revisions\/20999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaduspark.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}