Main users: Resident companies or institutions

​The program enhances the implementation of AI technologies through a series of development sprints where the matchmaking between AI challenge owners (private companies) and innovative tech providers is conducted. After matching, a 2-day hackathon is organized to develop an implementation plan. Best projects receive up to 100k€ grants for piloting.

​The main goal of the of the program is to develop and present good examples of AI technology implementations, so that it can be copied across different business sectors later. The AI technology is not so widespread yet, but it has huge potential to change different industries toward higher value-added and efficiency. To solve the problem, Tehnopol, together with Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication, has developed a framework that tackles AI implementation case-building with full support. The AI Development Program brings together AI challenge owners and AI solution providers, holds intensive project plan development sprints for parties, evaluates the AI pilot projects and gives out grants up to 100k€ per project. It then supports the pilot projects with expertise during the 6-month implementation period. Besides enhancing the implementation of AI technologies, Tehnopol as the Science Park, provides great piloting opportunities for tenant tech companies at the park and bridges the tech transfer to conventional business sectors. The program also provides collaboration links for the researchers and scientists at the universities, to work together with the private sector based on specific challenges.

AI Development Program has an innovative approach because it supports folly the development of AI success stories that very often encourage lot of new implementations in the business sector. As the benefits of AI technology is often underestimated, the projects are considered to be expensive and the know-how is limited, then AI Development Program presents a very good example, how the situation can be drastically changed. In addition, the following innovative aspects can be named: a) it represents a perfect PPP – the program is developed by the Science Park, financed by the ministry and the value is created for private sector; b) it creates systematically knowledge around AI technologies and builds up thematic community; c) it creates positive examples to follow and encourages peer2peer learning; d) it helps the private sector to minimize the AI implementation risks; e) it helps the universities and startup companies to practice their theoretical hypotheses or MVP stage solution in controlled environments and thus makes it more likely that the solution can be scaled independently as well.

So far, the AI Development Program has been ongoing for one year. During the time, Tehnopol has organized 2 development sprints that have brought together around 50 AI challenge owners (private companies and public organizations) and around 100 AI technology, solution, providers, including universities, private companies, R&D centers etc. The program has successfully matched 30+ challenge owners and providers that presented a full plan on AI implementation, the value AI technology is bringing and the KPIs they need to achieve through the pilot. In total the program has financed 15 pilot projects with around 400 000€. All the successful AI implementation cases are published to encourage other companies to follow the examples.

The main users of the program are private companies (including many manufacturing companies) that have technical challenges that potentially could be solved by AI technologies. Secondly, the users are technology solution providers, including universities, R&D centers, startups, SMEs and corporations.

The program has been developed by Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol, together with Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. The AI Development Program is conducted and executed by Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol.