Health Founders Estonia to Drive Innovation and Startup Growth in HealthTech
15 January 2025
The Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS) and Startup Estonia have announced the winner of a major public procurement aimed at developing Estonia’s health technology and health services sector over the next four years. The winning consortium, Health Founders Estonia, includes the Estonian Health Economy Association, the University of Tartu, Sparkup Tartu Science Park, and Civitta Estonia.
The procurement project, titled “Development and Implementation of a Value-Based Operating Model for the Health Technology and Health Services Sector,” has a total value of €2.36 million excluding VAT. The framework agreement for advancing entrepreneurship and innovation in the HealthTech sector will run for four years.
The initiative supports the objectives outlined in Estonia’s Research, Development, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Strategy (TAIE). The selected consortium is expected to lead development across three key focus areas:
Creating and launching services that support the establishment and growth of knowledge-intensive HealthTech startups.
Supporting the global growth and internationalization of HealthTech startups and scaleups.
Promoting health innovation and fostering interdisciplinary, nationwide collaboration.
Kristiina Sepp, Health Technologies and Services Sector Lead at the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency, emphasized that Estonia’s HealthTech sector requires focused support and strategic leadership to bring innovative, science-based technologies, products, and services into healthcare.
“The value-based operating model proposed by Health Founders Estonia supports the objectives of Estonia’s Public Health Development Plan 2030 by increasing healthy life expectancy through innovative, science-based health services and products,” said Sepp.
She noted that the initiative will help researchers, startup founders, and healthcare professionals jointly develop innovative, accessible, and personalized health technologies and services with strong international market potential.
Under the agreement, Health Founders Estonia will support the creation of knowledge-based HealthTech startups in Estonia while helping startups and growth companies scale both domestically and internationally. The consortium will be responsible for developing relevant services and support programmes, while also helping innovative solutions reach practical implementation within healthcare systems.
In addition, the consortium will focus on improving the international competitiveness of Estonian HealthTech companies by strengthening cooperation with research institutions, healthcare networks, entrepreneurs, and investors across multiple countries.
Erki Mölder, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Health Founders Estonia, highlighted the importance of improving the competitiveness of Estonian HealthTech companies in global markets.
“The global HealthTech market is highly complex and extremely competitive. Success requires both deep expertise and significant capital. To strengthen the competitiveness of Estonian companies, we need a strong local ecosystem that supports businesses throughout every stage of their development. Investor readiness, suitable funding mechanisms, and effective collaboration models will be key pillars of this ecosystem,” said Mölder.
Over the next four years, particular emphasis will be placed on encouraging collaboration across disciplines and industries. The programme will actively integrate expertise from areas such as data science, materials science, and behavioral sciences to accelerate innovation in health technologies and services.
The goal is to create an inclusive and collaborative environment that supports the continued development of Estonia’s HealthTech ecosystem, strengthens the national community, and provides opportunities for international networking, knowledge exchange, and adoption of best practices.
The long-term vision of the programme is to establish a globally recognized HealthTech innovation hub in Estonia. This center would attract international companies, researchers, healthcare professionals, and experts to collaborate in Estonia while making Estonian health and medical technology startups increasingly attractive to international investors and strategic partners.
Startup Estonia is a government-backed initiative dedicated to developing Estonia’s startup ecosystem by supporting the creation of new startups and helping them become international success stories. The programme is implemented by the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS) and funded by the European Union.
Additional Information
Erki Mölder Health Founders Estonia erki.molder@healthfounders.ee Phone: +372 514 7243
Inga Kõue Startup Estonia inga.koue@startupestonia.ee Phone: +372 511 0903
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