Don’t tell anyone, but Tartu is like a Steve Jobs’ garage for business. If you have innovative ideas or want to be part of the next great venture, Tartu is the place to be. It is a city that supports innovations with an effective ecosystem, a savvy talent pool, and digitalised society.
Tartu, the largest urban centre of Southern Estonia and the second biggest city in the country, is a city with a rich history and cultural heritage, is often considered the intellectual capital city of the country – a city where ideas spark. The city highly values cooperation, greenery, and safety, while also focusing on supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and digitalization.
Knowledge
Tartu is a city that has around 100 000 inhabitants, a fifth of which are working or studying in the 9 higher education institutions there.
The University of Tartu is the highest-ranking university in the Baltic countries, as it continues to be ranked among the top 1.2% of the world’s top universities, placing 358th in the latest (2024) edition of the QS World University Rankings and within the 301–350 range in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2024.
The Estonian University of Life Sciences is one of the TOP 100 universities in the world in the field of agriculture and forestry. It belongs to the top 1% of the most-cited research facilities in the world in plant and animal sciences, as well as environmental and ecological research. With cutting-edge technologies, world class laboratories and curious scientists, there is a great scientific research potential in the city of Tartu.
Environment
“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in a wrong room.”
This famous saying will likely not be relevant in Tartu, as the vibrant buzz of the student city provides a landscape for a community of diverse, talented and international individuals, so one will be constantly learning, constantly pushing themselves or their businesses to be the best.
This is also reflected in the cityscape and its sustainable solutions, including renovation projects, food waste prevention, establishment of green areas, and involving residents and communities in the city’s plans.
Tartu is known for its beautiful nature and lush green spaces throughout and near the city. It is not just the greenery, however, that makes a place truly sustainable. Tartu has long been committed to meeting climate goals and promoting sustainable development, and those efforts have been recognized with a Platinum award from the Green Destination program, which Tartu has been a part of since 2020.
The city is planned according to the principle that the physical environment affects people’s mental health – hence, the urban space solutions must be well thought-out. The city is constantly evolving, and the architects are working according to the 15-minute principle. Everything is close by – schools, kindergartens, grocery stores, libraries. As Tartu is quite compact, you can easily get everywhere by cycling, walking or using public transportation.
There is a great effort put into sustainable urban areas in Tartu – to make it more accessible for everybody to spend time outdoors. There are also many running trails, outdoor gyms and swimming spots in town. Free, movement-supporting events are organised to both the youth and the elderly, as the city believes that a healthy body and healthy mind go hand in hand.
As culture also impacts the way people feel and bright minds generate bright ideas, there are several public events organised in different districts and in the city centre along the river. Tartu is a UNESCO city of literature, a home to many museums, including the Estonian National Museum, and the eldest theatre in Estonia. Along with Austrian town Bad Ischl and Norwegian town Bodø, Tartu also held the title, “European Capital of Culture,“ for the year of 2024. To minimize the carbon footprint of the entertainment industry and promote sustainability in the cultural sector, Tartu was also the first city in Estonia to establish environmentally friendly requirements for events organized in the city.
Collaboration between different sectors and cultures
Tartu is a rather compact city, but not only regarding the geographical distances. Tartu is also compact in its’ community. Distances are short in Tartu – if you know somebody, you have access to anybody! There is a well-working cooperation between universities, local government, and private sector, and a lot of effort is put into creating an effective ecosystem for entrepreneurship and living.
The tight-knit community makes Tartu an ideal test environment for future technologies, as well as a center for start-ups and digital innovation.
Tartu is a city in constant motion, empowered by innovative changes with a substantial influence on citizens’ welfare and business growth. The local government offers a “Test in Tartu” service, which allows the entrepreneurs to test their services or products.
For example, from June to October 2024, a pilot project for a cultural bus was carried out in the city, connecting future technologies, public space and mobility. A self-driving bus between the Tartu City Museum and the Estonian National Museum drove nearly 2000 people. During the project, solutions using artificial intelligence were tested:
- Detecting passengers sitting and standing to ensure passenger safety.
- Transmitting information to bus passengers according to the language they use.
- Transmitting traffic information to the bus using sensors installed in the city infrastructure to prevent dangerous situations.
During the project, 15 different languages were detected on the bus. Smart sensors sent a total of nearly 5,000 warnings to the self-driving bus about approaching pedestrians at intersections with limited visibility. A total of 1,902 people rode the cultural bus. The bus covered 3,426 kilometers, 86% of which was driven autonomously.
The pilot project was participated by Yazaki Innovations, a subsidiary of the Japanese company Yazaki Group, the US technology company Avanti R&D, the Estonian self-driving vehicle developer Auve Tech OÜ, and the city of Tartu.
Where ideas spark
Tartu is the birthplace and home to sTARTUp Day, the leading early-stage business festival in the Baltic region. The three-day festival takes place annually, bringing together both local and international entrepreneurs and innovators.
The festival has a stage program, matchmaking system, hands-on seminars, a demo area and side events. The inspirational-educational program consists of various topics – from mental health to surviving tough economic conditions, marketing and brand development to professional founder stories and pivots.
Around 3000 people visit the sTARTUp Day each year. They are a people with background from start-ups, traditional enterprises, investing, innovation, science and education. The festival is another way how Tartu connects like-minded people and celebrates entrepreneurship.
Fun facts about Tartu:
- In the year 2000, Tartu was the first city in the world to introduce mobile parking.
- Tartu is the only city in the world whose name you can find in the word “startup”. Coincidence? Probably not.
- The University of Tartu was established in 1632, making it the oldest university in the Baltic countries.
- Tartu is the only place in Estonia offering a programme for future doctors, which is why Tartu is the heart of Estonian medicine.
- Tartu is the eldest city in Estonia – even older than Tallinn!
- Tartu holds the Guinness world record as the location of the pub with the highest ceilings, 11 metres.
