In 2024, the Formula Student Team Tallinn, a team of students from TalTech and University of Applied Sciences, made history. The team won overall first places in Austria and Italy and the endurance race at the Hockenheimring in Germany. Eventually, it was declared the world’s best Formula Student team, ahead of 889 competitors.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name: Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech)
Registry number: 74000323
Address: Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia
Telephone: +372,620,2002
E-mail: info@taltech.ee
Website: www.taltech.ee
Ownership form: legal person in public law
Financial year: 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2024
Auditor: KPMG Baltics OÜ
Photo by Felix Lodholz, Formula Student Austria
MISSION AND VISION
The mission of Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) is to be a leading provider of engineering and economic education, and leader in engineering sciences and smart technologies. As the only university of technology in Estonia, we are at the leading edge of innovation and enterprise. TalTech is a research university where research, teaching and studies, innovation and contributing to society are equally valued, balanced and interlinked.
Our motto “Mente et manu” reflects the values of the university community, attaching equal importance to critical and creative thinking, an entrepreneurial and practical mindset, openness, reliability and partnership.
We wish to stand out, be noticed and measure up to the best universities of technology in Europe with our smart solutions that help shape a digital and climate-neutral future.
TALTECH IN NUMBERS
BUILDING A STRONG ORGANISATION
The Estonian Formula Student Team has been recognised as the best in the world. Tallinn University of Technology had been aspiring to secure the title for some time, and now, in collaboration with a suitable partner, we have successfully achieved it. I believe that this special success will provide us with strength and inspiration for years to come.
The title has generated a high level of enthusiasm in Estonia, which reflects the close interaction between society and the university. At present, the mutual expectations, desires and demands are particularly clearly defined. In the current era of artificial intelligence, education must evolve beyond a mere modernisation of long-standing traditions. It is imperative to embrace bold and swift action, and in certain instances, to be willing to take risks.
However, Tallinn University of Technology is also exploring ways to influence the future of education at other levels. We enjoy a highly productive and valuable partnership with educational institutions, we organise educational camps for school children, and in 2024 we launched a programme for the popularisation of mathematics through e-learning. We undertake all of these measures for the benefit of our future students.
The university, and indeed university studies, are based on research, on the creative processing of the latest findings, on expanding their meaning and use. However, it is important to acknowledge that research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, which means it is becoming more complex, more nuanced and more resource-intensive.
In order to respond effectively to society’s demand and offer better and more comprehensive solutions, we have set out to create large Centres of Excellence. On the one hand, their work is aligned with the university’s strategic focus areas, and on the other, it is driven by a commitment to environmental sustainability. The first steps of our Focus Centres of Excellence suggest that they
make cooperation within the university as well as international partnerships and links with the public sector and businesses more effective.
It is important to note that results do not happen overnight. However, the Centres are already implementing effective collaboration strategies, establishing visibility with potential partners, and selecting and drafting project proposals. Effective interdisciplinary Focus Centres of Excellence also play a key role in maintaining the university’s relationship with businesses.
In order to govern the university in a more integrated and balanced manner, the governance reform working group made several proposals last year, which entered into force as amendments to the Statutes. A significant development was the inclusion of deans as members of the Rector’s Office. This has given them a much stronger voice and made discussions in the Rector’s Office more meaningful and effective. It is also crucial to emphasise that the schools’ action plans are to be developed in alignment with the university’s Strategic Plan. The objective is to establish a robust and cohesive organisation where everyone has a clearly defined and important role.
Our cultural collectives and sports teams are also valuable members of our strong, cohesive organisation. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Folk Dance Ensemble Kuljus, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2024.
I wish everyone strength, clear goals and special moments.
TIIT LAND Rector
GOVERNANCE AND STRUCTURE
The legal status and activities of Tallinn University of Technology are mainly regulated by the Tallinn University of Technology Act, the Higher Education Act and the Statutes of Tallinn University of Technology.
On 19 February 2021, the Board of Tallinn University of Technology approved the Strategic Plan for 2021–2025. The goals of the plan have been outlined in simple but clear terms at taltech.ee/en/ about-the-university/strategic-plan. The highest decision-making body of the university is the University Board (the Board), which is responsible for the development of the university, setting priorities based on the long-term interests of the university and ensuring the achievement of its goals. The Board approves the strategic plan and the budget, elects the Rector and adopts the Statutes. The Rector and the area directors form the Rector’s Office. The Rector is responsible for the governance and
development of the university, the implementation of the budget and the lawful and expedient use of financial resources. The Rector’s Office assists the Rector in achieving the objectives set for the Rector.
The academic decision-making body is the Senate, which is responsible for the implementation and quality of the teaching, research and development activities of the university. The Senate submits the university’s draft statutes, strategic plan, budget strategy and annual report to the Board. The Senate also decides on various matters concerning the university’s teaching, research and development activities. The purpose of the International Advisory Board, which is composed of top international scholars and executives, is to advise the Rector and the Board on governance, teaching, research and development strategy and to provide international expertise.
SENATE
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture
Department of Energy Technology
Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics
Department of Materials and Environmental Technology
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Kuressaare College
Tartu College
Virumaa College
Department of Computer Systems
Department of Software Science
Department of Health Technologies
Thomas Johann Seebeck Department of Electronics
IT College
Department of Geology
Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology
Department of Cybernetics
Department of Marine Systems
Department of Economics and Finance
Ragnar Nurkse
Department of Innovation and Governance
Department of Law
Department of Business Administration
RECTOR’S OFFICE
The Rector's Office comprises the Rector, the area directors and the deans. The Rector is responsible for the governance and development of the university, implementing the budget and ensuring the lawful and efficient use of financial resources. The Rector's Office supports the Rector in these tasks.
CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT
15 December 2024 marked the end of Tiit Lukk’s term as Vice-Rector for Research. Erik Puura took over from him as Vice-Rector for Research on 16 December, while continuing in his role as Vice-Rector for Entrepreneurship.
On 30 April, the Centre of Climate Smart Future ceased operation due to a restructuring in the field of green transition.
After nearly a year of discussions, the amendments to the Statutes of the University of Technology were finalised in 2024. The reason for amending the Statutes was the Board instructing the Rector to increase the role of academic staff in the university’s governance model. A working group analysed the governance models of the University of Technology and of other universities in Estonia and abroad and proposed amendments to the Statutes. Discussions took place within the university, at a joint seminar of the Board and the Senate, and at meetings of Senate committees, the Senate and the Board.
The most significant amendments to the Statutes relate to the composition of the Senate. As of 1 Sep-
tember 2025, the Senate will comprise the Rector, who will act as Chairman, representatives from each department (including colleges) and the Maritime Academy, eight student representatives (two of whom will represent PhD students) and a representative from the support staff. Until the amendment comes into force, the Senate will comprise the Rector, Vice-Rectors, deans, the Director of the Maritime Academy, ten academic staff representatives elected by School Boards, seven student representatives and one support staff representative.
In addition to the Vice-Rectors and the Director of Administration, the Rector’s Office will include the deans.
Another important change concerns the process of adopting the schools’ action plans: these will now include the departments’ action plans, which will be based on the university’s Strategic Plan. The Rector will approve the schools’ action plans at the same time as the implementation plan of the university’s Strategic Plan. This amendment is essential to ensure that the schools’ action plans align with the university’s strategic objectives, as outlined in the Strategic Plan.
The director of department will be appointed by the dean (formerly by the Rector).
Tiit Land Tiit Lukk
Erik Puura Hendrik Voll
Tea Trahov
Fjodor Sergejev
Roomet Leiger
Andrus Salupere Mari Avarmaa
Gert Jervan
The amendments to the Statutes came into force on 1 July 2024, except for the amendment to the composition of the Senate, whose mandate will expire on 31 August 2025.
MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY BOARD, RECTOR’S OFFICE, SENATE AND THE INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY BOARD
• Gunnar Okk, Chairman, member appointed by the Minister of Education and Research, VicePresident and COO of the Nordic Investment Bank
• Maive Rute, member appointed by the Minister of Education and Research, Deputy Director-General for DG GROW of the European Commission
• Heiti Hääl, member appointed by the Minister of Education and Research, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Alexela Group OÜ
• Ardo Kamratov, Vice-Chairman, member appointed by the Senate, Director for Finance of the university in 2004–2014, honorary member of the university
• Robert Kitt, member appointed by the Minister of Education and Research, CEO of Utilitas Tallinn / Utilitas Eesti, Chairman of the Management Board of the Alumni Association, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TalTech’s Development Fund
• Piret Mürk-Dubout, member appointed by the Minister of Education and Research, Member of the Management Board of AS Tallink Grupp
• Arvo Oorn, member appointed by the Senate, Head of the university’s Lighting Technology Laboratory
• Mart Saarma, member appointed by the Estonian Academy of Sciences, Research Director at the University of Helsinki, Professor of Biotechnology, Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences
• Tiina Randma-Liiv, member appointed by the Senate, Professor of Public Management and Policy at the university, Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences
• Tõnis Kanger, member appointed by the Senate, Professor of Organic Synthesis at the university
• Tanel Tammet, member appointed by the Senate, Professor of Applied Artificial Intelligence at the university
MEMBERS OF THE RECTOR’S OFFICE
• Tiit Land, Rector, Professor
• Tiit Lukk, Vice-Rector for Research (until 15 December 2024), Senior Researcher
• Hendrik Voll, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Professor
• Erik Puura, Vice-Rector for Entrepreneurship, Vice-Rector for Research (from 16 December 2024)
• Tea Trahov, Director for Administration
• Fjodor Sergejev, (member from 1 July 2024), Dean of the School of Engineering, Professor
• Gert Jervan, (member from 1 July 2024), Dean of the School of Information Technologies, Professor
• Mari Avarmaa, (member from 1 July 2024), Dean of the School of Business and Governance, Professor
• Andrus Salupere, (member from 1 July 2024), Dean of the School of Science, Professor
• Roomet Leiger, (member from 1 July 2024), Director of the Estonian Maritime Academy
MEMBERS OF THE SENATE
• Tiit Land, Rector, Chairman of the Senate
• Tiit Lukk, Vice-Rector for Research (until 18 December 2024)
• Hendrik Voll, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs
• Erik Puura, Vice-Rector for Entrepreneurship
• Tea Trahov, Director for Administration
• Mari Avarmaa, Dean of the School of Business and Governance
• Gert Jervan, Dean of the School of Information Technologies
• Andrus Salupere, Dean of the School of Science
• Fjodor Sergejev, Dean of the School of Engineering
• Roomet Leiger, Director of the Estonian Maritime Academy
• Ivo Fridolin, representative of the academic staff of the School of Information Technologies
• Innar Liiv, representative of the academic staff of the School of Information Technologies
• Kristo Karjust, representative of the academic staff of the School of Engineering
• Allan Niidu, representative of the academic staff of the School of Engineering
• Argo Rosin, representative of the academic staff of the School of Engineering
• Riina Aav, representative of the academic staff of the School of Science
• Rivo Uiboupin, representative of the academic staff of the School of Science
• Erkki Karo, representative of the academic staff of the School of Business and Governance
• Laivi Laidroo, representative of the academic staff of the School of Business and Governance
• Loreida Timberg, representative of the academic staff of the Estonian Maritime Academy
• Tõnis Liibek, representative of the support staff
• Vladlen Pahv, students’ representative
• Karoliine Rebane, students’ representative
• Mia Peterson, students’ representative
• Jürgen Sokk, students’ representative (from 1 September 2024)
• Mark Toomsalu, students’ representative (from 1 September 2024)
• Anette Vijar, students’ representative (from 1 September 2024)
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
The purpose of the International Advisory Board is to advise the Rector and the Board on management, teaching, research and development activities.
• Magnus Vooder, students’ representative (from 1 September 2024)
• Carina Bitšikov, students’ representative (until 31 August 2024)
• Anet Marii Paumets, students’ representative (until 31 August 2024)
• Joosep Perandi, students’ representative (until 31 August 2024)
• Carolin Tõntsu, students’ representative (until 31 August 2024)
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
• Sir John Walker, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Professor Emeritus at the University of Cambridge
• Tuula Teeri, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
• Wolfgang A. Herrmann, President Emeritus of the Technical University of Munich
• Killu Sanborn, Managing Director of the Life Sciences of Oxford Finance
• Jukka Ruusunen, (from 24 April 2024), Professor at LUT University, former longtime President and CEO of Fingrid Oyj, the Finnish electricity grid company
• Fredrik Sjöholm, (from 24 April 2024), Professor and CEO of the Swedish Research Institute of Industrial Economics
• Robert-Jan Smits, (from 24 April 2024), Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Eindhoven University of Technology
• Jesper Olesen, (until 23 April 2024), Professor at the University of Copenhagen
The purpose of the International Advisory Board is to advise the Rector and the Board on management, teaching, research and development activities.
Killu Sanborn
Sir John Walker
Tuula Teeri
Jukka Ruusunen
Wolfgang A. Herrmann
Fredrik Sjöholm
Robert-Jan Smits
HIGHLIGHTS IN 2024
BEST IN THE WORLD
In 2024, our Formula Student Team made history by finishing at the top of the world ranking, ahead of 889 competitors, claiming the title of the world’s best Formula Student Team. The young engineers from tiny Estonia even caught the attention of the Ferrari engineers. Read more on page 34.
The online physics competition Physics Cup –TalTech, organised by Professor Jaan Kalda, had a record number of participants (1,400) and participating countries (90). Professor Jaan Kalda is also the President and main organiser of the European Physics Olympiad, a major competition that was held in Georgia in 2024 with 256 participants from 54 countries.
SMARTER ESTONIA
Nearly 30,000 people took part in an e-learning project on school mathematics organised by the university. The aim of the competition was to draw
attention to the application of mathematics in everyday life and to involve the whole of Estonia in solving maths problems. Read more on page 47.
Under the leadership of Professor Tõnn Talpsepp of the Department of Economics and Finance and commissioned by the Ministry of Finance, the project “Centre of Excellence for Financial Literacy and Financial Education” was launched, which will run for three years.
STRONGER UNIVERSITY
In May, six Centres of Excellence were launched at the university: the Energy Foresight Centre, the Centre of Excellence for Smart Industry, the Wood Valorisation Hub, the Centre of Excellence for Health and Food Technologies, the Centre of Excellence for Smart Seas, and Taltech AI Centre, which bring together research teams and competences from various schools. Read more on page 18.
Total revenue from education activities exceeded the expected level – instead of the target
The world’s best Formula Student team: FS Team Tallinn
of 70 million euros, we reached 78.4 million euros by the beginning of 2025.
We have met the targets set for two key indicators in the Strategic Plan. The average salary of master’s graduates exceeded the set target. The target was for an average income of master’s graduates to be 1.65 times Estonia’s average wage, but it reached 1.77 of the average in 2024 already.
We are making good progress in increasing the proportion of PhD-holding lecturers in master’s programmes. Compared to last year, there has been a 23-percent increase in the proportion of master’s programmes where at least 75% of the total study programme is taught and supervised by academic staff with a PhD.
After a wide-ranging discussion, we agreed on the transversal and discipline-specific competencies required of TalTech graduates as part of the modernisation of the study programmes, ensuring an even higher quality of education and more competitive graduates. Read more on page 27.
At the IT Academy, we recruited lecturers, launched a programme for teaching assistants, upgraded the toolkits of the programme director, the lecturer and the assistant programme director, and analysed the reasons why students drop out, as well as encouraged women to choose the field of information technology. Read more on page 25.
At the Engineering Academy, we updated 30
courses and also increased the share of project and problem-based learning in more than twenty courses; we started developing seven new courses; we contributed to succession planning by recruiting young teaching assistants; and paid more attention to supporting and advising new lecturers. Read more on page 24.
We supported the motivation and succession of academic staff with two salary increases: a raise of 500 euros per month for the teaching staff and a 2,300-euro salary for doctoral students, which is 20% more than the national target.
The Maritime Academy successfully passed the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) audit, which confirms the high quality of the Maritime Academy’s Navigation and Ship Engineering study programmes as well as its general management and ensures the recognition of diplomas of these specialties in all 176 IMO Member States.
In 2024, three student organisations were established, bringing the number of organisations to a record 40.
MORE DOCTORAL STUDENTS
For the third consecutive year, TalTech met 95% of the doctoral degree quota under the contract signed with the government, with 72 new doctoral students graduating in the reporting year. The
Dmitri Vinnikov, member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences with his team at the opening of the TalTech Residential DC Innovation Hub.
average duration of studies has decreased, and the number of dropouts has significantly declined.
During the year, we admitted 136 doctoral students, which is 1.7 times more than our commitment in the contract. A total of 120 of the new doctoral students are working at the university as early stage researchers, 6 are industrial doctoral students and 10 are doctoral students.
In December, the first doctoral student of the Estonian Maritime Academy defended his doctoral thesis. The Academy’s doctoral programme was launched in autumn 2020, and by the end of 2024, there were already 21 doctoral students.
BETTER SCIENCE
In 2024, a regular evaluation of research and development activities was carried out in Estonia. The University of Technology applied for the evaluation in five academic fields: natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, agriculture and veterinary sciences, and social sciences.
The Power Electronics Research Group of the Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics, led by Dmitri Vinnikov, member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, developed the concept and opened a unique research and demonstration centre, the Residential DC Innovation Hub. This
is the first DC experience centre in Northern Europe where various DC technologies are implemented and tested, aiming to develop a DC microgrid for households. Read more on page 51.
In 2024-2025, 20 TalTech-led research projects will be launched under the programmes of Thematic Research and Development Activities (TemTA). The university will be a partner in 4 such projects. A total support for TalTech will be over 18 million euros.
As the project coordinator, the Centre for Biorobotics of the Department of Computer Systems received funding for the HE project PIPEON – “Robotics and AI for Sewer Pipe Inspection and Maintenance (PIPEON)” with total funding of 8 million euros. The project will develop robotics and artificial intelligence technologies for autonomous sewer inspection and maintenance, bringing about a technological leap forward in wastewater treatment.
For the first time, the Maritime Academy took the role of the lead partner in two projects of a consortium of transnational research projects: BALTIC-FIT (Horizon Europe, Twinning: 1.5 million euros) and REISFER (Interreg: 3.76 million euros), both starting in 2024. Read more on page 61.
Since 1 November 2024, the Department of Energy Technology has had a state-of-the-art meteorological station in operation on the roof of the U06 building for the collection and use of high-quality weather data, including solar data.
The Career Conference of the Estonian Doctoral School
CLEANER WORLD
For the second year running, the university recognised the Green Achievement of the Year. This time, there were two winners. This shows that the university community is interested in contributing to sustainability. The Campus Festival, which was sustainably organised with more than 3,000 participants, and the Residential DC Innovation Hub were both announced as the Green Achievements of the Year. Read more on page 46.
In early 2024, a working group started work on the roadmap for a climate-neutral university under the leadership of Jarek Kurnitski, member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. The roadmap, which was ready by the beginning of 2025, will help govern the university in a research-based way. Read more on page 46.
In the first half of 2024, the Green Guide for university staff was completed, highlighting and explaining ways for everyone to reduce their environmental footprint at work and at home. Read more on page 46.
The Chemistry and Biotechnology Department’s spin-off Äio Tech won Tallinn Entrepreneurship Award “Bright Starter 2024” and the Baltic Sustainability Award 2024 in the Food Innovations category. Read more on page 46.
Another spin-off of the Department of Chemistry
and Biotechnology, Raw Edge, won the Baltic Sustainability Award 2024 in the Science Application category and the 4NGELS Pitching Competition in Slovenia. Read more on page 46.
With the support of the Just Transition Fund (JTF), Virumaa College launched the new Sustainable Industry master’s programme and the Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Circular Economy bachelor’s programme, recruited two PhD-holding lecturers and had 11 research groups start work, 4 of which are led by researchers from Virumaa College. The plan is to provide research and development services to support the transformation of the economy in Ida-Viru County. The support of the JTF to the College in 2024 amounted to 861,146 euros. The measure will run until 2029. Read more on page 25.
The Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture introduced battery energy storage into the calculation methodology for energy performance of buildings by creating a new web-based tool that will become an official tool when the energy efficiency regulations enter into force as of 1 March 2025 and will be available on the website of the Ministry of Climate. Read more on page 51.
Researchers at the Department of Energy Technology drew up greenhouse gas budgets for Estonia based on our fair contribution to limiting global warming to 1.5 and 2.0°C. Read more on page 52.
Äio Tech team in TalTech lab
THE BEST AT TALTECH
STATE DECORATIONS
On the eve of the Republic’s anniversary, President Alar Karis bestowed decorations on 157 people, including many researchers and educators, among them four staff members of the University of Technology.
• Gert Jervan, Dean of the School of Information Technologies, and Professor of Biotechnology Petri-Jaan Lahtvee were awarded the Order of the White Star, 4th Class.
• Rein Raudsalu, Senior Lecturer at the Estonian Maritime Academy, and Birgy Lorenz, Senior Researcher and Vice-Dean of the School of Information Technologies, received the Order of the White Star, 5th Class.
NATIONAL RESEARCH AWARDS
A Lifelong Achievement Award was given to Professor Emeritus and mathematician Leo Võhandu, one of the pioneers of information technology
development in Estonia. His greatest contribution is introducing computational mathematics and multidimensional data analysis, as well as biomathematics and mathematical linguistics to Estonia.
A research team comprising Ilona Oja Acik, Malle Krunks, Nicolae Spalatu and Atanas Katerski received an award in engineering and technology for a series of works titled “Solar cells based on anisotropic thin-film absorber materials: design and development of sustainable technologies”. According to the jury, Ilona Oja Acik’s research group can be considered as a pioneer in Europe in the development of anisotropic absorber materials and new materials and solar cells based on them.
RECOGNITION WITHIN THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY
Mart Saarma, member of the TalTech University Board, was elected President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences.
The General Assembly of the Academy also
elected new Vice-Presidents, Secretary General and non-executive members of the Board. Tenured Full Professor Jarek Kurnitski, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Member of the Academy, took up duties as a non-executive member of the Board.
The divisions of the Academy elected new heads from among their members because the mandate of the division heads elected in 2019 had expired. The new Head of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences is Tenured Full Professor Tiina Randma-Liiv of R. Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance, and the new Head of the Division of Informatics and Engineering is Tenured Full Professor Maarja Grossberg-Kuusk, Head of the Department of Materials and Environmental Technology.
Member of the Academy Jarek Kurnitski was awarded in Sweden the John Rydberg Gold Medal for outstanding contribution to research on ventilation. The John Rydberg Gold Medal, awarded in the Nordic countries, is the highest accolade for researchers and has so far not been awarded to an Estonian.
The new Advisory Board of the Foresight Centre of the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament), which convened in September, elected Tarmo Soomere, member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, as its new chairman.
TALTECH AWARDS
RECIPIENTS OF “MENTE ET MANU” AWARDS
"Mente et manu” is a decoration awarded to a member of the university staff or a person who has made an outstanding contribution towards the development of the university, higher education in general or research. The Rector decides on the awarding of the medal, which has been bestowed since 2001.
• Lead Specialist Mare Altosaar – an outstanding and longtime researcher in the field of material science, winner of national research awards, a distinguished and renowned lecturer and theses supervisor.
• Lecturer Elna Aun – an outstanding and longtime lecturer in maritime English at the Estonian Maritime Academy, translator of several books and author of textbooks.
• Senior Researcher Atko Heinsalu – an outstanding leader and contributor to the development of the Department of Geology from 20122019, a recognised and renowned researcher and lecturer.
• Chief Conductor Tarmo Kivisilla – a longtime and renowned chief conductor of the Tallinn
University of Technology Brass Band and promoter of high quality brass band music.
• Leading Researcher Ülle Kotta – an outstanding researcher, one of the most cited mathematicians in Estonia and a recognised and renowned lecturer and theses supervisor.
• Professor Tiina Randma-Liiv, member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences – a prominent social scientist and management expert at both national and international levels, a founder of public administration research and education in Estonia, a renowned lecturer and theses supervisor.
HONORARY DOCTORATE
• Professor James Robin Bernard Cockett, the University of Calgary
• Professor Dr Caspar van den Berg, the University of Groningen – Dutch researcher and expert on public administration, President of the Dutch University Association.
RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR
• Tõnis Kanger, Tenured Full Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology of the School of Science
YOUNG RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR
• Agne Velthut-Meikas, Tenured Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology of the School of Science
BEST RESEARCH ARTICLES
Natural, exact and health sciences:
• I. Rooda, J. Hassan, J. Hao, M. Wagner, E. Moussaud-Lamodière, K. Jääger, M. Otala, K. Knuus, C. Lindskog, K. Papaikonomou, S. Gidlöf, C. Langenskiöld, H. Vogt, P. Frisk, J. Malmros, T. Tuuri, A. Salumets, K. Jahnukainen, A. Velthut-Meikas, P. Damdimopoulou (2024). In-depth analysis of transcriptomes in ovarian cortical follicles from children and adults reveals interfollicular heterogeneity. Nat Commun. 2024 Aug 21;15(1):6989.
Engineering and technology:
• Rajesh Kalakoti, Hayretdin Bahsi, Sven Nõmm Improving IoT security with explainable AI: quantitative evaluation of explainability for IoT botnet detection. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 2024, 11(10), 18237−18254.
• Naser Hassanpour, Andrii Chub, Andrei Blinov, Dmitri Vinnikov (2023). Soft Switching Bidirectional Step-Up/Down Partial Power Con- verter with Reduced Components Stress. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 38 (11).
MARGUS LOPP, member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, winner of the Development Project of the Year competition; the research team also included Kristiina Kaldas, Andres Siirde, Birgit Mets, Estelle Silm, Mariliis Kimm, Kati Muldma, Maria Reinaas, Violetta Umerenkova, Villem Ödner Koern, Angelica Närep, Kristi Rõuk, Jaan Mihkel Uustalu, Kaarel Siirde, Galina Varlamova
Social sciences and humanities:
• Leon Marquardt, Aki Harima (2024). Digital boundary spanning in the evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A dynamic capabilities perspective. Journal of Business Research, 182, #114762. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114762.
Monograph, monograph chapter or textbook of the year:
• Raimund Ubar, Jaan Raik, Maksim Jenihhin, Artur Jutman (2024). Structural Decision Diagrams in Digital Test. Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.
• Kristjan Liivamägi, Tõnn Talpsepp, Tarvo Vaarmets (2023). Masterclass in successful investment. From successful investor to master investor.
BEST DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
• FIRST PRIZE: KEROX III – Advanced technological platform for the production of dissolved carboxylic fraction and dicarboxylic acids by oxidation of oil shale; members of the research group Kristiina Kaldas, Margus Lopp, Andres Siirde, Birgit Mets, Estelle Silm, Mariliis Kimm, Kati Muldma, Maria Reinaas, Violetta Umerenkova, Villem Ödner Koern, Angelica Närep, Kristi Rõuk, Jaan Mihkel Uustalu, Kaarel Siirde, Galina Varlamova
• SECOND PRIZE: TalTech Residential DC Innovation Hub (DC InnoHub); members of the research group: Dmitri Vinnikov, Andrii Chub, Andrei Blinov, Raivo Kasepuu, Tanel Jalakas, Indrek Roasto, Edivan Laercio Carvalho da Silva, Neelesh Yadav, Sayeed Hasan, Salman Khan.
• THIRD PRIZE: Development, calibration and validation of a model for wastewater and combined sewerage catchment areas in Tallinn;
members of the research group Ivar Annus, Nils Kändler, Murel Truu, Katrin Kaur
LECTURERS OF THE YEAR
• Kristjan Lill, Member of the Road Engineering and Geodesy research group and Head of the Laboratory of Roads and Traffic at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture
• Igor Krupenski, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Energy Technology
• Maarja Grossberg-Kuusk, Professor, Head of and Programme Director at the Department of Materials and Environmental Technology
• Toomas Tamm, Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology
• Harli Moosaar, Senior Lecturer at the Estonian Maritime Academy
• Pavlo Illashenko, Lecturer at the Department of Economics and Finance
• Aive Pevkur, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Business Administration
• Julius Juurmaa, Visiting Lecturer at the Department of Health Technologies
• Andres Rähni, Lecturer at the Department of Computer Systems
• Sven Nõmm, Tenured Associate Professor at the Department of Software Science
PROGRAMME DIRECTORS OF THE YEAR
• Peeter Ellervee, Non-tenured (teaching track) Associate Professor, Head of the Study Centre for Computer Systems, Programme Director of two curricula: Hardware Development and Programming, and Embedded Systems
• Kristo Karjust, Tenured Professor, Head of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and Programme Director of the
master’s programme in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
• Mare Roosileht, Head of Virumaa College and Programme Director of the master’s programme in Green Energy Technologies
SUPPORT STAFF OF THE YEAR
• Martin Kriisemann, Chief Officer of Event Organisation
• Külli Paugus, Head of Personnel Management Division
• Kiira Parre, Research and Development Analyst at the Research Administration Office
• Moonika Mändla, Assistant to Head at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture
• Viia Roosaar, Assistant to Department Head at the Department of Health Technologies
STUDENT OF THE YEAR
• Rasmus Kalep. Rasmus’ contribution to student welfare and student life has made him one of the most outstanding students at the university. Under his leadership, the start-up Garage was founded in 2024, the first international student organisation since ESN, poviding an inclusive and supportive platform for international students and an opportunity to develop their entrepreneurship and leadership skills. A number of Rasmus’ initiatives have been in the top three or have won awards in previous years.
STUDENT ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR
• TalTech Student Managed Fund. Estonia’s first student-led investment fund offers students the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowl-
edge to real financial markets. The Fund has contributed to the development of student life, financial education and the dissemination of investment knowledge. The Fund’s innovative spirit and academic excellence is also demonstrated by the competition with Investor Toomas (a fictional character created by local business paper Äripäev offering financial advice and promoting the idea of investing). This brought the student organisation’s activities to the attention of a wider audience.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR
• A triumphant 2024 season of the Formula Student Team Tallinn.
SPORTS ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR
• The Selver/TalTech men’s volleyball team won the Estonian Championship and came first in the Baltic Men Volleyball League (Croninet League).
CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE YEAR
• The successful organisation of the 75th anniversary celebrations of the university’s Folk Dance Ensemble Kuljus
• The university’s Brass Band won an international brass band competition and received a gold diploma
GREEN ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE YEAR
• Campus Festival 2024 – an example of an environmentally friendly event
• Residential DC Innovation Hub on Mustamäe Campus
– AGNE VELTHUT-MEIKAS, Tenured Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Science
Young Researcher of the Year
The meteorological station for the collection and use of high-quality weather data, including solar data
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
In 2024, a regular evaluation of research and development activities was carried out in Estonia. The University of Technology applied for the evaluation in five fields of science: natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, agriculture and veterinary sciences, and social sciences.
In May, six centres of excellence were launched at the university: the Energy Foresight Centre, the Centre of Excellence for Smart Industry, the Wood Valorization Hub, the Centre of Excellence for Health and Food Technologies, the Centre of Excellence for Smart Seas, and the TalTech AI Centre, which bring together research teams and competences from various schools on a thematic basis in order to concentrate on research focus areas and meet the objectives of the Green Strategy. In 2024, the steering groups of the centres were established, a communication programme was developed and, with the support of the Research Administration Office and the Technology Transfer Office, the preparation of applications for external funding was launched. The aim is to link the future development of the centres to the university's new strategic plan.
TalTech was actively involved in shaping Estonia's position paper in the planning of the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
FUNDING
TalTech's total research and development (R&D) funding has been on a steady upward trend over the years, with particularly strong growth in the last two years. Compared to 2023, the increase was almost 10 million euros. The total amount of baseline funding grew in Estonia by 7.2% compared with 2023, amounting to 59.31 million euros
(2023: 55.3 million euros). In 2024, TalTech’s R&D baseline funding amounted to 12.7 million euros (21.4% of the total baseline funding). Certain results, considered basic data for the allocation of baseline funding, raised concerns: a decrease in the value of R&D and service contracts in 2022 (from 7.2 million euros in 2021 to 5.9 million euros), combined with a lower number of qualifying research articles (40 fewer than in 2021).
At the time of reporting, the Minister had approved the baseline funding allocations for 2025 (Directive No 29 of 25 February 2025 of the Minister of Education and Research). The total amount of baseline funding in Estonia remained at the level of 2024 (59.31 million euros). The allocation to TalTech was 12.16 million euros (20.5% of the baseline funding allocation), which is 0.53 million euros less than in 2024. The decrease in the baseline funding is mainly due to the decrease in the value of R&D and service contracts, which is taken into account as a total amount for the last three years. Compared to 19.5 million euros that was the total value of R&D and service contracts for 2020-2022 taken into account for the allocation of the 2024 baseline funding, the decrease in 2021-2023 was almost one million euros.
The total value of grant applications for Estonian Research Council funding in the 2024 call was 59,471,234 euros, including applications worth 10,914,814 euros submitted by TalTech. Overall, 17 of the 65 grant applications in the total amount of 2,760,186 euros submitted by TalTech were successful. TalTech's application success rate in this year’s call was 26%. The average success rate for institutions was 22%. Taking into account the grant projects launched in previous years, Estonian Research Council’s research grants to the university amounted to 12.9 million euros in 2024.
Within the framework of the Just Transition Fund’s (JTF’s) support measure “Support for increasing the knowledge intensity of business in Ida-Viru County”, TalTech (lead partner) and the
School of Engineering
School of Science
School of Information Technologies
School of Business and Governance
Estonian Maritime Academy Support Structure
University of Tartu (UT) in cooperation established a consortium of research groups in 2023 to carry out basic and applied research and development activities in 2023-2029 with a budget of 35,164,286 euros. TalTech will channel just over 5 million euros through its research groups to research, testing and experimental infrastructure in Ida-Viru County. A total of 11 research groups of TalTech are involved in the implementation of the four focus areas of the support measure, all of which include staff from Virumaa College.
Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences JAREK KURNITSKI was awarded the Swedish John Rydberg Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to research on ventilation.
In 2024-2025, 20 research projects will be launched under the leadership of TalTech and the university will be a partner in 4 Thematic Research and Development programmes (TemTA). A total support for TalTech will be over 18 million euros.
MAJOR RESEARCH PROJECTS
LAUNCHED IN 2024:
The project with the largest amount of external funding (one million euros or more for the University of Technology):
• Robotics and AI for Pipe and Sewage Inspection and Maintenance (Professor Maarja Kruusmaa, Centre for Biorobotics). Project grant to TalTech is 1,498,438 euros, the total grant is 7,997,691 euros. The project will develop robots capable of working in wastewater treatment plants. They will be able to move autonomously, monitor the condition of the infrastructure and carry out minor but, in terms of robotics, complex repairs. Such a technological leap would allow for an order of magnitude more, or faster, data collection and data-driven decisions for infrastructure maintenance and planning in the future. This would allow a 30-percent reduction in leakages, which in turn would allow the objectives of the European Wastewater Treatment Directive and the European Water Framework Directive to be met even if other sources of pollution remain unchanged.
Projects that have received more than 500,000 euros:
• Housing Decarbonisation Skills for Climate, Health and Jobs (Professor Emlyn David Qivitoq
Witt, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture) – funding to TalTech 865,269 euros.
• Enabling Collaborative Efforts for Systemic Change in Estonian River Basin Management (Professor Rivo Uiboupin, Department of Marine Systems) – funding to TalTech 819,499 euros.
• Digital Twin for Earth System for Cryosphere, Land Surface and Related Interactions (Professor Rivo Uiboupin, Department of Marine Systems) – funding to TalTech 797,625 euros.
• Enabling Decentralised Digital Twin ERA in Existing Research Infrastructures for Predictive, Preventive, Personalised and Participatory Health (Professor Tõnis Timmusk, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology) – funding to TalTech 551,250 euros.
• Art of Darkness as Cultural Heritage of Urban Landscape (Professor Argo Rosin, Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics) – funding to TalTech 531,875 euros.
• Hierarchical and Agile Resource Management Optimization for Networks in Smart Energy Communities (Professor Jarek Kurnitski, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture) – funding to TalTech 531,000 euros.
• Recognizing European Potential for Hosting Deep Land Primary CRM by Combining New Mineral Models and Advanced Exploration and Visualization Techniques (Project Manager Tony Hand, Department of Geology) – funding to TalTech 517,204 euros.
• Systemic Integration of Transformative Technical and Nature-based Solutions to Improve Climate Neutrality of European Cities and Regions and Tackle Climate Change: the UR-
Breath Approach (Researcher Lill Sarv, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture) –funding to TalTech 503,250 euros.
MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN 2024:
• Ultra-high performance liquid chromatograph with fluorescence and photodiode array detectors (Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, 245,500 euros)
• EnzyScreen Growth Profiler 960 microbioreactor system (Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, 101,164 euros).
• Semiconductor parameter analyser (Department of Materials and Environmental Technology, 100,000 euros).
PUBLICATIONS
The multidisciplinary abstract and citation database Scopus (query run on 25 February 2025) included a total of 1,168 publications by TalTech members in 2024, including 716 journal articles, 292 articles in conference proceedings, 7 monographs, and 71 chapters in edited volumes.
Compared to 2023, there has been a significant increase in the number of monographs and monograph chapters, but a decrease in the number of articles published in first quartile (Q1). The latter implies that the target set in the university's Strategic Plan (number of Q1 articles per staff member with a doctoral degree), which had already been reached in 2023, fell to the level of 2022. This is due to both a lower number of Q1 articles (2023: 453; 2024: 441) and a significant increase in the number of staff members with a doctoral degree (2023: 646; 2024: 700).
The share of articles produced in international collaboration has also decreased slightly. The
analysis tool SciVal, based on the Scopus database, shows that 65.2% of TalTech’s publications in 2024 were co-authored by colleagues from abroad (2023: 67.6%).
The top co-publishing countries are basically the same as in recent years:
United Kingdom (125 co-authored publications)
Finland (125)
Sweden (109)
United States (99)
Germany (92)
Norway (72)
India (67)
Italy (55)
Latvia (51)
China (50)
Spain (47)
Denmark (46)
France (44)
The top co-publishing foreign research institutions in 2024 were Aalto University (55 co-authored publications); University College London (31); the University of Latvia (28); Vellore Institute of Technology, India (27) and the University of Helsinki (24).
TENURE AND RESEARCH GROUPS
At the end of 2024, there were 137 tenured positions at the university, of which only 97 were filled and 12 positions in the process of being filled. There were 28 vacancies, 10 in the School of Information Technologies and 9 in the School of Science.
In total, the university had 130 research groups in 2024 (2023: 126). A research group is set up and
SCOPUS-INDEXED PUBLICATIONS (query run on 25 February 2025)
Number of PhD dissertations defended, 5-year growth
30.9%
led by a tenured professor and focuses on the professor’s research project. 75 tenured professors led their research groups in 2024. Other members of the academic staff may, however, lead research groups if they run a research project and/or have secured independent funding for their research. An overview of the activities of the research groups is available on the university's website.
PHD STUDIES
According to the contract signed with the government, the university has undertaken to provide at least 77 PhD positions in 2024. In fact, 136 PhD students were admitted during the year. Overall, 120 of them are working at the university as early stage researchers, 6 are industrial doctoral students and 10 are doctoral students. 73 new PhD students (i.e. 53.4% of all new PhD students) were international students. The proportion of international students of all PhD students was 48.3% (2023: 48% and 2022: 46.5%).
During the contract period (2022–2025), the university must provide at least 46 PhD positions in collaboration with external partners. Since the start of the contract period, we have accepted 31 industrial doctoral students. Thus, we will need to admit a record number of industrial doctoral students in 2025 to honour the contract.
In 2024, 72 PhD students defended their dissertations with Estonians accounting for 37.5% of them. In the last three years, we have managed to meet nearly 95% of the number of PhD graduates required by the contract. The time taken to attain a doctoral degree has been decreasing year by year, with 2024 graduates attaining their degrees in five years on average. The drop-out rate has also gone down year on year, with a particularly sharp decline in 2024: while the drop-out rate in the last five years ranged between 61 and 33, only 24 doctoral students dropped out in the reporting year.
RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE
In November, the Minister of Education and Research approved the list of units on the Estonian Research Infrastructure Roadmap (28 units in total) for the next five years. Five units made the list under the leadership of TalTech:
• Energy efficiency and renewable energy core infrastructure (led by Professor Jarek Kurnitski)
• Research infrastructure for chemical synthesis and technology (led by Professor Tõnis Kanger)
• Marine technology and hydrodynamics research infrastructure MARTE – Regional Knowledge Transfer Technology and Advisory Centre (led by Villu Vatsfeld)
• Core infrastructure for smart production (led by Professor Tauno Otto)
• Infrastructure for wood valorisation and analysis (led by Professor Andres Krumme)
As a partner, we are also involved in 18 other Roadmap units. The total amount of support for the Roadmap units will be approximately 39 million euros over five years, with funding decisions expected by the end of March 2025.
Users at the High Performance Computing Centre (HPC Centre) continued to actively use the LUMI supercomputer. Over the year, 4.2 million hours of CPU calculations and 3,000 hours of GPU calculations were executed. Two research-intensive companies focussing on fluid dynamics were added to the user group of the HPC Centre. In the HPC Centre's own cluster 4 million CPU hours of calculations were executed. Two new servers with Nvidia L40 GPUs, particularly suited for running neural networks, and a backup server were installed at the HPC Centre.
The development of the research data repository data.taltech.ee continued in cooperation with the TalTech Library. The repository already contains a data collection of 168 publications.
STUDENTS AND STUDY
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2021–2025 performance target
Share of students graduating within the standard period of study
The standard period of study corresponds to the official study period + 1 year for 4-year and shorter programmes, and to the official study period + 2 years for longer programmes
The proportion of master’s courses where at least 75% of the programme is taught by academic staff members with a PhD or an equivalent qualification
Baseline 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Ratio of the average income of the graduates of master’s studies to the average salary in Estonia
In wage calculations, the baseline data for 2022 have been changed. Previously, wage earners in the top and bottom percentiles were excluded.
Baseline 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Total revenue from education activities (€m)
The largest contribution to total revenue from education activities came from the increase in operational funding from the state budget.
Baseline 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
FUNDING
In the funding model used by the Ministry of Education and Research, state funding for higher education comes in the form of operational funding and specific-purpose allocations. Operational funding is broken down as follows: 80% – baseline funding, 17% –performance-based funding and 3%
Baseline 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
– allocations based on the administrative contract. Baseline funding is distributed among universities based on the funding received in the preceding three years, and performance-based funding is determined based on five (six until 2023) performance indicators and the funding received in the preceding three years, i.e. the proportion of baseline funding. It is important to note that universities can only
influence the share of baseline funding through the amount allocated based on performance-based funding, that is through performance indicators.
The performance-based funding for any given year is determined on the basis of the results of the previous year and it depends on the university's own performance as well as on the performance of other Estonian public universities (six in total).
Between 2019 and 2021, TalTech’s share of performance-based funding was 30%, but it has been on a downward trend in the past four years. By 2025, TalTech’s share of performance-based funding based on performance indicators was 25.7%. Although the indicators have improved in all five areas over the last year, the increase in the share of funding was not large because other universities have seen a larger improvement.
In 2024, the Engineering Academy project funded by the European Social Fund was launched. It involves higher education institutions and vocational training institutions that offer education in engineering, manufacturing and civil engineering. TalTech, the University of Tartu, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University of Applied Sciences, and the Aviation Academy are among the higher education institutions that have joined the Engineering Academy. The budget of TalTech’s Engineering Academy for 2024 was 1,470,920 euros. The budget for 2023-2026 is a total of 7,839,000 euros.
The Engineering Academy measure has three strands:
• Increasing the number of applicants in engineering programmes (see chapter “Continuing education” on page 33).
• Increasing the relevance of studies to labour market and societal expectations (see chapter “study programme development” on page 27).
• Reducing drop-out rates (see chapter “Dropout and completion rates” on page 28).
TalTech has set a target in the Engineering Academy to increase the number of students enrolled in
engineering programmes by 15% per year. In the current academic year, the number of admissions into the focus programmes increased by 16% and into all programmes of the university's Engineering Academy by 15%.
The first phase of the green transition measure financed by the Structural Funds ended in 2024. To implement the measure, the Minister of Education and Research set up nine consortia of representatives of higher education institutions, vocational training institutions and professional associations, five of which were led by TalTech representatives:
• Transport Services (Logistics), TalTech, led by Katre Koit
• Electricity and Energetics, TalTech, led by Ivo Palu
• Food Processing, TalTech, led by Katrin Laos
• Construction and Civil Engineering, TalTech, led by Simo Ilomets
• Chemical technologies and processes, TalTech, led by Tiia Plamus
• Forestry, Estonian University of Life Sciences
• Motorised vehicles, shipping and aeronautical engineering, Tallinn University of Applied Sciences
• Agricultural and veterinary sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences
• Environmental sciences as a crosscutting theme, University of Tartu
The consortia were tasked with mapping the documents and legislation governing the sector, reviewing the need for updating the study programmes and courses of degree studies, formulating new learning outcomes for green competencies, proposing improvements to the professional standards and identifying the training needs of academic staff in order to teach the new green competencies. TalTech's budget for the first phase was over 630,000 euros. November 2024 also marked the end of Phase I of the digital measure, funded by the Structural Funds. Support was provided for the creation or renewal
of degree courses in civil engineering, engineering, manufacturing and logistics, and for the production of teaching materials. At TalTech, seven modules or subjects and relevant teaching materials were renewed and two new subjects on basic ICT skills were updated.
In late February, the Education and Youth Board approved project reports with TalTech's budget totaling 479,409 euros. In a later phase of the measure, support will be provided for the provision of continuing education and retraining on the basis of the updated subjects until the end of 2026.
The IT Academy (ITA) has set three major goals for ICT education by 2029:
• Increase the number of master’s students (see chapter “Admissions” on page 25)
• Increase the proportion of female students in first stage study programmes (see chapter “Admissions” on page 25).
• Reduce drop-outs in year one of the first stage study programmes (see chapter “Dropout and completion rates” on page 28).
In the inaugural year of the new, 2023-2029 period of the IT Academy, TalTech focused on systemic development: recruiting lecturers, launching a programme of teaching assistants, analysing the causes of dropouts, promoting diversity, etc.
In December 2023, the Minister of Education and Research approved the terms and conditions of the grant for the implementation of the project
“Increasing the volume of continuing education in Ida-Viru County and developing and launching new curricula for degree studies in vocational and higher education”, which will be financed by the Just Transition Fund (JTF). The main objective of the measure is to create study opportunities in vocational and higher education that take into account the development needs of Ida-Viru County and to provide continuing education and retraining for the population of the region. At TalTech, the activities of the JTF are carried out by Virumaa College, where important developments took place in 2024 to improve study programmes and open new specialities. For example, the Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Circular Economy master's programme and the Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Circular Economy bachelor's programme were created, new lecturers holding a doctoral degree were recruited, modules on transversal, green and digital competencies and nuclear power courses were incorporated into the study programmes in response to feedback from entrepreneurs and students. The JTF contribution to the college in 2024 was 861,146 euros, and the measure will run until 2029.
ADMISSIONS
Due to an increase in the number of upper secondary school graduates last year, all TalTech schools, with the exception of the School of Information Technologies, saw an increase in admissions.
ADMISSIONS
Professional
ADMISSIONS BY SCHOOL
School of Engineering
School of Information Technologies
School of Science
School of Business and Governance Estonian
The School of Engineering implemented a system for this admission, which, besides setting the admission threshold, also established a maximum number of study places: if the number of applicants meeting the admission threshold was lower than the available study places, places would also be offered to candidates with state exam results below the threshold. Admissions would continue until all study places were filled, but the proportion of such candidates could not exceed 50% of those who met or exceeded the threshold. The decline in admissions to the School of Information Technologies was due to a decrease in undergraduate admissions, while the number of admissions to master’s and doctoral programmes increased.
Estonian citizens, people with a long-term
residence permit and people with permanent right of residence accounted for 91.8% of the total number of admissions, which equals 2,917 applicants. The number and percentage of international students increased compared to last year, mainly due to international students from EU Member States: this year, nationals of EU Member States accounted for around half of the international students enrolled.
There were three admission-related targets arising from the contract signed with the government:
1. Not to increase the number of non-fee-paying study places in the first-level study programme group Business and Administration compared to the academic year 2021-2022. We did not meet this target and a cap was set for admissions for the academic year 2025-2026 to ensure the number of admissions did not exceed the limit specified in the contract signed with the government.
2. To keep the number of enrolments in the Informatics and IT study programme group at least at the level of the academic year 2021-2022 for both bachelor’s and master’s levels and increase the proportion of female students in these programmes. The proportion of women has increased compared to the base year, but admissions of women to Informatics and IT study programmes remain below the target. Very high admission thresholds have been set for information technology programmes; the thresholds will be lowered slightly in next intake to allow more young people to enroll in these programmes.
3. To increase the number of admissions in the field of engineering, manufacturing and civil engineering by 10% compared to the academic year 2021-2022. This target was met; with an increase of 14.41%, we were in line with the target set in the contract signed with the government.
The university had five admissions-related targets, of which we met three:
1. To maintain/increase the proportion of entrants with high scores in the national exam in broad
EXAM TAKERS WITH SCORES OVER 90 (OUT OF 100) IN THE BROAD MATHEMATICS EXAM
EBS was the third higher education institution to have the number of its graduates enrolling in TalTech go up by more than ten.
STUDY PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
2021/22 2022/23 2023/24
mathematics – the target was not achieved. The number of pupils with a score of at least 90 (out of 100) decreased across Estonia this year (306 fewer than last year and the number was even lower than in 2022).
2. To increase/maintain the number of applicants admitted under special criteria – the target was achieved. A total of 50 entrants applied for admission under special criteria (2023: 41 and 2022: 25). The highest number of applicants seeking admission under special criteria was in the School of Information Technologies (29 applicants).
3. To maintain/increase the number of applicants from the focus schools (general education schools with high scores in mathematics national exams and a high number of enrolments in TalTech over the years) compared to the previous year – the target was achieved. Overall, 16 schools have been designated as focus schools and this year 34 more graduates from those schools enrolled at Tallinn University of Technology than last year. Pärnu Koidula Secondary School still provides the highest number of new students, while Nõmme Secondary School and Tallinn 21st School were also in the top three.
4. To secure at least 15 students in each first-level programme and at least 10 students in each master’s programme – the target was not achieved. 5 first-level programmes and 11 master’s programmes fell short of the target. There are a total of five programmes with enrolments below the required number for three consecutive years, all of them at master's level.
5. To increase the number of students graduating from TalTech’s first-level programmes who continue their studies at master’s level – the target was achieved. The number of TalTech graduates enrolling in university’s master's programmes was the highest in recent years, with an increase of 70 students. The number of entrants from the University of Tartu also increased (by 17); this was also the best result in recent years.
In the academic year 2024-2025, 80 programmes were open for applications. Three new programmes were opened: the bachelor's programme Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Circular Economy in Estonian, the one-year master's programme E-Governance Technologies and Services in English and the master's programme Sustainable Industry in Estonian.
Internal evaluation of study programmes was previously part of external evaluation. However, the university now has to develop its own internal evaluation system to ensure a high quality of teaching and continuous improvement of study programmes. In 2023, an internal evaluation process was agreed on and in 2024, a business analysis was commissioned for the development of an IT solution for internal evaluation, which should be completed in 2026.
In 2024, the bachelor’s programme International Business Administration of the School of Business and Governance received a three-year accreditation from the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). The aim of the university is to equip its graduates with future-proof skills, with both the professional and transversal competencies to succeed in a rapidly changing world, today and in the future. To this end, the focus is on four themes: learner-centredness, coherence, evidence-based methodologies and transversal competences. In 2024, five discipline-specific and five transversal competencies were agreed upon; an analysis was conducted to identify which study programmes already develop these competencies and which need to start doing so. the Study Programme Statute was updated and the requirements for study programmes were specified. Discipline-specific and transversal competencies must be incorporated into programmes by the 2028–2029 academic year.
The Teaching Development Fund, set up in 2022, continued its activities with a total contribution of 1.2 million euros. Schools and academic staff were eligible to apply for grants from three sub-funds in the total amount of 510,000 euros:
1. Schools’ teaching development projects focusing on the development of teaching infrastructure and the modernisation of study programmes; 2. Teaching enhancement projects, with a focus
on problem- and project-based learning in study programmes and the engagement of teaching assistants;
3. Grants for the academic staff for self-development of pedagogical competence and enhancement of teaching practices.
A total of 59 projects out of 63 received funding. In addition to grants from the Teaching Development Fund, the School of Information Technologies funded 11 other projects of the School in the total amount of 238,890 euros.
Overall, 511,515 euros were invested in the Study Information System ÕIS2 in 2024. In addition to investments from the Teaching Development Fund and the development of ÕIS2, the university made significant investments in the renovation of study rooms, totalling 984,451 euros.
DROPOUT AND GRADUATION RATES
Across the Schools, the number of dropouts increased in the School of Engineering; it also increased slightly in the School of Science, while in the other Schools the number of dropouts decreased compared to the previous year.
The progress of first-year students is monitored separately. In the academic year 2023-2024, a total of 571 students dropped out during the first year of studies (representing 17.08% of the total number of enrolments). The drop-out rate of first-year students has been declining steadily for five years.
A key action has been to increase the number of elective courses offered to upper secondary school students, in order to raise young people's awareness of the specialisations available at the university and thus prevent them from choosing the wrong one. The possibility of becoming a student shadow
also helps young people make a more informed choice. The number of pupils becoming TalTech student shadows has increased over the last three academic years, with 225 pupils becoming student shadows in the previous academic year.
All Schools employ a variety of means to prevent students from dropping out. For example, student performance was studied, opportunities for companion study, study assistance and additional tutoring in mathematics were offered, starting the dissertation process earlier was tried, events were organised to inspire, motivate and share experience, training in motivational interviewing was offered, etc. With the support of the IT Academy, training days and seminars were organised for programme directors, and teaching assistants were recruited. New solutions were also piloted. Positive examples include the introduction of the learning analytics tool IntelliBoard (an IT system for the early identification of students at risk of dropping out) and the piloting of an adjustment questionnaire for first-year students, which was used to individually contact students who appeared to be at risk of dropping out and offer them student support services.
One of the key performance indicators is the ratio between the number of students admitted and the number of students who graduate within the standard time*, i.e. the graduation rate. The university has set a target of achieving a graduation rate of at least 60% by 2025. The university as a whole did not meet the target, although there was an increase of almost one percentage point in the graduation rate last year, reaching 48%. In the School of Business and Governance and the School of Engineering, the completion rate improved year on year, but in other Schools the rate decreased. The graduation rate in the School of Business and Governance was 61.1%, that is, 1.1% above the target set in the university's Strategic Plan; the School of
GRADUATION RATES BY LEVEL OF STUDY
Five-year growth in graduation rates in percentage points 1.7%
Science came in second with 52%, followed by the School of Engineering with 48%.
In the academic year 2023-2024, there were 219 students who graduated with a distinction (cum laude): 92 with a bachelor’s and 127 with a master’s degree. The proportion of cum laude graduates decreased in the academic year 20232024 compared to the academic year 2022-2023 (from 14.7% to 12.5%).
STUDENT COUNSELLING
Chat functionality was introduced in full at the Student Councelling Office in 2023, but in 2024 it was available throughout the calendar year for the first time.The number of counselling sessions has more than doubled in a year, with the largest increase seen in contacts initiated through the chat window. The chat window helps provide fast and relevant support and accurate answers in a convenient way, creating a positive first impression even before the final decision on enrolment is made. It also offers an opportunity to stand out from other higher education institutions.
The Office of Academic Affairs continues to offer career counselling, counselling specifically targeted at students with special needs, as well as psychological counselling. The main concerns in 2024 included high levels of anxiety and/or depression among students, and more students than in the past have been referred to a general practitioner or a psychiatrist. The students with lots of extracurricular activities, who are also working and trying to study more than 30 ECTS credits per semester, have found themselves falling behind. Over the years, the number of students seeking student counselling because they are unable to cope with their studies has decreased significantly.
In 2024, psychologists' cooperation with the Student Council continued. Once the position of Coordinator of the Mental Health Project was created, students began addressing mental health issues in a more coordinated and focused manner.
University employees, including PhD students, increasingly resort to psychological counselling. Fortunately, most of these PhD students go on to successfully defend their theses.
The work of tutors continues to play an important role in supporting first-year students. In
DROP-OUT RATE OF FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS OUT OF TOTAL NUMBER OF ENROLMENTS
Source: Study Information System (SIS)
autumn 2024, all bachelor’s degree programmes had tutors.
The use of the Student Portal also continues to grow: the number of visits has increased by 30%, and the average time spent on the portal is a quarter longer than last year.
STUDENT SATISFACTION
In the Annual Graduate Satisfaction Survey, 1,597 graduates were invited to take part in the survey in 2024; 432 of them, that is 27.1%, responded. The university aims to keep graduates’ average and median satisfaction ratings (satisfaction with the programme and teaching) above 4.0.
Satisfaction with study programmes was above 4 on average in all Schools and 4.1 on average across the university, but there was a downward trend by levels of study. In 2022, all Schools exceeded the target set by the university at all levels of study; however, in 2024, the target was not achieved at the master’s level by the School of Science and by the School of Business and Governance. Satisfac-
GRADUATES’ AVERAGE SATISFACTION WITH THE STUDY PROGRAMME
tion with teaching either increased or remained at a similar level to the previous year in most Schools: the university's average level of satisfaction was 4.2, with the best result in the School of Information Technologies (4.4).
The 2024 graduates were satisfied with the diversity of teaching methods and the availability and quality of teaching materials. Lower ratings are linked to the motivational role of lecturers – students did not feel encouraged to participate actively in their studies, found the presentation of subjects uninspiring, or felt that lecturers did not help deepen their interest in the subject. The pattern has been similar in previous years and is evident in all Schools.
Twice a year, after each term is completed, students provide feedback on the conduct and organisation of the studies through a questionnaire in the Study Information System (SIS). In 2024, students wrote over 72,000 comments in SIS, which is a good source of information for lecturers and programme directors on what is happening in the lecture rooms from the student's perspective. The feedback on the organisation of teaching continues to be very high, with students specifically highlighting the supportive attitude of the Dean's Offices.
MOBILITY AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Studying abroad plays an important role in ensuring academic quality. Through international degree students and visiting students, TalTech students who, for some reason, cannot or do not wish to study abroad themselves will also gain
INWARD MOBILITY
France (76)
Germany (71)
Italy (25)
Czechia (25)
Spain (15)
international study experience. An important factor in the choice of a university by visiting international students is the number of English-language courses offered and the alignment with their home university's study programme.
In the academic year 2023-2024, TalTech hosted 326 visiting international students, 308 of whom studied at TalTech for 1-2 terms and 18 came for an internship. In addition, 100 visiting international students attended the four blended intensive programmes organised by the University of Technology.
The number of our students going abroad to study is on the rise. In the academic year 20232024, 196 students applied to study abroad for one or two terms; 120 of them were enrolled, 1 did not meet the criteria and 75 students withdrew their application. Overall, 94 of the 120 students were residents of Estonia and 26 international students. In comparison, in the academic year 2022-2023, 92 students studied abroad, of whom 64 were residents of Estonia and 28 were foreigners.
In the academic year 2023-2024, 59 TalTech students, including 32 residents of Estonia and 27 foreigners, did international placements under the Erasmus+ programme in 24 countries. In comparison, in the academic year 2022-2023, 39 students, including 20 residents of Estonia and 19 foreigners, did international placements.
In order to increase the visibility of studies abroad in the university, the Mobility Ambassadors initiative was launched for the first time in the academic year 2023-2024 and piloted in the School of Engineering. Selected students actively shared their experiences with fellow students, both during their studies abroad and in the following term.
The majority of studies abroad is carried out under Erasmus+ agreements. With the mobility scholarship awarded by the Kristjan Jaak national scholarship programme, a TalTech student visited Kyungpook National University in South Korea.
Five students were awarded a 1,000-euro scholarship each from the Mobility Centre of the Office of Academic Affairs; two students went to the National University of Singapore, two to Korea University and one to Kyungpook National University (South Korea).
The staff of the University of Technology submitted 270 applications for participation in the
OUTWARD MOBILITY
Czechia (15)
Italy (14)
Denmark (13)
Spain (11)
Portugal (11)
Erasmus+ programme. Also, nine staff members and 14 students from third-country partner universities received support to visit TalTech.
One of the goals set in TalTech’s Strategic Plan is to increase the university’s international impact and improve its reputation through collaboration with top-level universities and research-intensive enterprises around the world. To achieve this goal, close cooperation continues with the partner universities within the EuroTeQ Engineering University initiative. EuroTeQ Engineering University (hereinafter EuroTeQ) is a collaborative project between European universities, which brings together 8 of Europe’s leading science and technology universities as from the end of 2023: Technical University of Munich (Germany, TUM), Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands, TUe), École Polytechnique (France, l’X), Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) and Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech). Associated partners include Technion in Israel and EPFL in Switzerland. In 2023, the project successfully applied for a 4-year extension and two new partners joined the network: HEC Paris in France and IESE Business School in Spain. In addition to universities, partners include business giants such as Siemens, Total, BMW, GasNet and Škoda. Together, based on co-creation, businesses and universities design study formats that are a test-bed for tackling societal challenges.
One of the main objectives of the project is to significantly promote physical, virtual and blended student mobility. In the autumn term of the academic year 2023-2024, 87 TalTech’s students applied to participate in 124 courses offered by partner universities; the students successfully passed 30 courses. In the spring term, 176 students applied to participate in 217 courses taught at the EuroTeQ partner universities; the students successfully passed 35 courses.
In the autumn term of the academic year 20232024, TalTech offered 48 courses to the students of EuroTeQ partner universities, which were selected 159 times; 51 students successfully passed our courses. In the spring term, TalTech offered 44 courses which were selected on 225 occasions and passed successfully on 40 occasions.
STUDY ENVIRONMENT AND DIGITAL LEARNING
In spring 2021, two new projects aimed at improving the quality of e-learning and e-support were launched within the framework of the university's Strategic Plan: the Learning Design programme and the programme of fully online courses. A total of 25 Moodle courses will be developed each term, and by early 2026, at least 200 of them will meet the advanced level defined by the TalTech e-learning standard. By late 2024, 179 courses had passed the Learning Design programme. By the end of the autumn term of the academic year 2024-2025, TalTech had 16 courses that could be fully taken in the e-learning environment. Five of the courses had been created in the autumn term of the academic year 2024-2025.
Echo360 recording platform is available in a total of 27 lecture halls. In 2024, a total of 8 lecture halls were upgraded or put to use and now they are hybrid lecture halls with a touchscreen. Three of them were also equipped with group work screens. In total, the university has 78 lecture halls with video conferencing equipment, that is, lecture halls that allow two-way video communication.
In early 2024, the integration of the new learning analytics platform IntelliBoard with Moodle began. IntelliBoard is a tool for monitoring student activity and progress based on information from Moodle. In September, the student counsellors of selected programmes in the School of Engineering started testing it.
In 2024, six new centres of excellence were established at the university, including TalTech AI, which consolidates TalTech's artificial intelligence (AI) expertise.
During the year, thematic workshops for teaching staff and training sessions for teachers in general education schools were organised; TalTech AI representatives were involved in the AI work group at the Ministry of Education and Research looking for solutions for the deployment of AI in general education and sharing TalTech's experience; the faculties of the School of Information Technologies and the School of Engineering have developed ChatBots based on their subjects to provide automated support for students.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND ALLOWANCES
Performance scholarships were paid to 439 students in the autumn term of the academic year 2023-2024, to 570 students in the spring term of the academic year 2023-2024 and to 438 students in the autumn term of the academic year 2024-2025. In view of the cuts in the 2025 state budget, the government will stop providing funds for performance scholarships to universities after January 2025. In order to continue paying scholarships to students with excellent academic results, the University of Technology has decided to allocate money from its budget for scholarships for the spring and autumn terms in 2025. The new scholarship will be called the success scholarship. The scholarship will be 200 euros per month.
In addition to national scholarships and allowances, the Schools recognise the good progress of their students with scholarships.
The School of Information Technologies awards scholarships to students on the Dean’s List, to encourage them to study full-time and graduate within the nominal period. The scholarship is
Development Fund scholarship ceremony for handing over the scholarships awarded
Five-year growth in the number of students 21.3%
300 euros per month and in 2024, approximately 250,000 euros was paid out in scholarships: to 109 students for the autumn term 2023 and to 73 students for the spring term 2024. The School of Business and Governance, and the School of Engineering support the activities of their School’s student council and student organisations. The School of Science pays scholarships to the ten best first-year students. The students of the Estonian Maritime Academy can apply for the Captain Uno Laur scholarship of 500 euros; in 2024, the Future Wave Maker Scholarship Fund was established.
In 2024, 242 scholarships were awarded through the TalTech Development Fund. Read more about it in a chapter below.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
In 2024, revenue from continuing education exceeded the planned budget by 27.6%, amounting to 5.089 million euros. Revenue from continuing education increased by 1.35 million euros compared with 2023. The increase was mainly due to the funds allocated by the government to cover the cost of state-commissioned study positions becoming available in mid-year. This increased the university's continuing education revenue by almost 950,000 euros. In addition to the better than expected actual revenue from continuing education, revenue from open education tuition fees also exceeded the budgeted revenue by 224,000 euros, amounting to a total of 1.043 million euros. The microdegree programmes opened by the Schools over the year contributed to the revenue increase.
The total number of participants in continuing education courses fell somewhat. In 2024, 18,958 people (including pupils) were enrolled in continuing education courses at TalTech. The number of participants in continuing education included
the girls participating in the work of the Unicorn Squad network of technology groups but, at the same time, the free examination courses for school pupils previously supported by the Ministry of Education and Research and the one-day green seminars with a large number of participants were no longer funded.
In 2024, TalTech offered 81 micro-degree programmes, which attracted 440 students. Following an invitation to tender by the Education and Youth Board, the Open University conducted the IT Academy's Information Security Leadership Training Programme, which has resulted in at least 200 attendants who take up jobs in information security.
Within the framework of state-commissioned continuing education, TalTech conducted 76 courses for 2,225 participants in 2024. All Schools and regional colleges were involved in the courses. A total of 947,851 euros worth of courses took place within six months, including 415,475 euros for tuition-free courses funded by the ESF VÕTI programme.
TALTECH DEVELOPMENT FUND
TalTech Development Fund, a foundation established by the University of Technology, raises and channels financial support to TalTech students, research groups and projects. Through strategic approach and consistent work, private sector support has steadily grown over the past five years, and in 2024, scholarships and various grants worth 595,693 euros were paid. A total of 242 scholarships were awarded to students and two student projects were given a boost.
More than 12,000 euros were raised through the portal donate.taltech.ee over the year. In 2024, 96 companies and 60 individuals were scholarship donors by either awarding a named scholarship or by donating to a scholarship fund.
Five-year growth in the value of scholarships
In 2024, four thematic scholarship funds were set up. Also, a named scholarship fund was set up with a core endowment of 100,000 euros donated by a private donor, which was invested in Swedbank. Scholarships are paid once a year from the yield of the scholarship fund.
In 2024, the Development Fund accepted its first crypto currency donation (2,000,000 Xahau tokens), with a value of around 140,000 euros at the time of donation. This is a new asset class in the Development Fund portfolio.
In total, the TalTech Development Fund received donations of nearly 800,000 euros in 2024.
STUDENT LIFE
In 2024, three student organisations were established, bringing the number of organisations to a record 40. These include 23 organisations with Estonian as their working language and 4 international
organisations, 8 cultural collectives and 5 student councils. In total, 1,732 students, 1,557 of them actively, participate in the work of the organisations. Active international students represent 5.2% of the total student activism at TalTech.
In 2024, the Formula Student Team Tallinn, a team of students from TalTech and Tallinn University of Applied Sciences, made history. The team won overall first places in Austria and Italy and the endurance race at the Hockenheimring in Germany. Eventually, it was declared the world's best Formula Student team, ahead of 889 competitors. The young engineers from tiny Estonia even caught the attention of Ferrari engineers. So far, Formula Student Team Tallinn has won overall first places and made the podium on a number of cases. The team had been dreaming of being declared the best in the world for years. The Estonian team started competing back in 2006, initially with a combustion engine-powered formula car. The electric formula car built over recent years is an
integrated one, capable of driving with or without a driver.
A documentary “Solaride: The Courage to Do the Impossible” tells the story of the solar-powered car Solaride. There is also a documentary capturing the journey of our student satellite team: “ESTCube-2.X: Ten Years to the Stars”. In addition, the TalTech Hydrogen Organisation TiVo took a big step into the future by launching its first product development project – developing a small-scale hydrogen refueling station. These are just a few examples of the innovation and entrepreneurship of students that are shaping the future of TalTech and Estonian science.
Events are no less important. The TalTech Business Forum, a student-organised business conference, brought together top movers and shakers, providing business insights for participants and valuable organisational experience for students. BuildIT celebrated its 10th anniversary with a conference on technical systems, a day of competition and a career fair. At the VÕTI TULEVIKKU Career Fair, students met representatives of 102 companies and took part in the first-ever evening seminar and job shadow days. TalTech GameCamp offered game development enthusiasts an opportunity to attend BootCamp lectures and take part in handson workshops and Game Jam, a 48-hour game development competition.
To enable student organisations to make their ambitious ideas a reality, the Student Union organised six grant competitions over the year. A total of 105 projects were submitted, of which 101 were awarded grants, giving a total of 122,000 euros in grants to student life. For the first time, a student who is not a member of any of the organisations, applied for a grant, and a clothes swap event took place where 392 items of clothing found a new owner.
Thanks to the Juuliuse Jüngrid (Disciples of Juulius, the mascot of TalTech), Tal-Tech's representative sport teams’ fandom has reached its peak, and student attendance at home games has been higher than ever. We achieved a respectable second place in both the Winter and Summer Games, but we beat our main rival, the University of Tartu, in Ylipalli and brought home a big victory.
Two Informatics students brought chickens to the campus for a couple of weeks in September, which generated a lot of excitement and added to the biodiversity of the campus.
The Rector's Cup once again brought Schools together to compete against each other. In the academic year 2023-2024, the Cup was won by the School of Business and Governance. The student council of the winning School will receive 10,000 euros from the prize fund of the academic year 2024-2025; the student council of the runner-up school will receive 3,000 euros and the student
council of the School that comes in third will receive 2,000 euros.
This year, our student body, led by the Student Union, also contributed to the cooperation with the Federation of Estonian Student Unions and to shaping the position of Estonian students on higher education policy. A joint action was organised in front of the Stenbock House (the seat of the Estonian Government), thanking our leaders for free higher education.
ALUMNI
As at year end 2024, Tallinn University of Technology had a total of 84,257 alumni, 4% of whom are international alumni.
Since 1996, the university’s Alumni Association has awarded the title of the Alumnus/ Alumna of the Year. By now the title has been granted to 30 distinguished alumni. At the academic ceremony in September marking the 106th anniversary of the University of Technology, Jüri Engelbrecht, one of Estonia's most outstanding and versatile researchers, was declared the Alumnus of the Year 2024.
In 2024, the Alumni Association continued with two new traditions to support students: monetary awards were presented to the two most active students at the Winter and Summer Games, and support for the beach volleyball stage of the Rector's Cup continued. In addition, two new events were organised: an alumni disc golf tournament and the New Alumni Picnic in June.
As part of our tradition, we invited alumni to a charity theatrical performance, a TTU bike trip, the Campus Festival, a tennis tournament and, naturally, the Alumni Ball in the University Hall. All in all, more than a thousand people attended the various events.
JÜRI ENGELBRECHT Alumnus of the Year
BUSINESS AND ENTERPRISE
The key indicators in business focus on the commercialisation of research, knowledge transfer and being an important engine of the Estonian economy.
The Vice-Rector for Entrepreneurship is responsible for TalTech business activities which are organised at the university level by the Technology Transfer Office and the AI & Robotics Estonia Centre (AIRE).
In 2024, the organisation of business cooperation underwent a major change: four partnership manager positions were abolished in the Technology Transfer Office; this increased significance of the roles of the business development specialists, who are part of the university's business network, and other staff who support business cooperation. Increasingly, TalTech centres of excellence are contributing to the development of business cooperation by initiating and coordinating large cross-university and interdisciplinary projects. The Technology Transfer Office focuses mainly on maintaining and developing a portfolio of strategic partners.
FUNDING
2022 and 2023 were very difficult years for the global corporate economy and Swedbank’s November 2024 economic forecast predicted that the euro-zone economy will continue to face challenging times. The industrial sector is facing problems due
to high energy prices and fierce competition from China. Estonia is coming out of the recession and confidence in the manufacturing sector is improving; the focus is on improving efficiency and competitiveness, and this was where investment went. Hopefully, these developments will give the university's current and future partners the confidence to (re) embark on developments and cooperation projects.
The main indicator of the effectiveness of business cooperation is the revenue generated from R&D and service contracts and from grant-funded projects. Entrepreneurial income is made up of two components:
• income from domestic and foreign research and development (R&D) and service contracts, and
• income from specific grant-funded projects. Companies and public bodies directly and immediately benefit from project results. This is set out in financing agreements . Revenue from R&D and service contracts and from specific grants amounted to 12.9 million euros; an increase compared to 2023 (11.4 million euros) was 13%. Revenue from contracts with Estonian companies and institutions amounted to 6.7 million euros (including 2.45 million euros for laboratory services); the share of revenue from contracts with foreign companies and institutions was 1.2 million euros and revenue from specific grants for projects was 5 million euros.
* Revenue from specific grants for projects has been recorded as revenue from R&D and service contracts since the 2023 report.
The largest foreign source of revenue from specific grants (2.7 million euros) was the Just Transition Fund. The project AI & Robotics Estonia EDIH (European Digital Innovation Hub) funded by the EU Digital Europe Programme generated 1.9 million euros in revenue.
COOPERATION WITH BUSINESSES AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR
The university’s list of strategic partners includes a total of 27 companies and institutions with Eesti Energia Group, Ülemiste City and Port of Tallinn at the top of the list.
In the reporting year, eight framework partnership agreements were concluded with the following companies and institutions:
• Coop Pank AS
• Raw Edge OÜ
• AS PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Matter Holding OÜ
• Schöttli Keskkonnatehnika AS
• OÜ Recycling DME
• AS SEB Pank
• AS Metrosert
TEN LARGEST CONTRIBUTORS TO REVENUE FROM R&D AND SERVICE CONTRACTS (24.6% OF THE TOTAL REVENUE)
Enefit Power AS 667 187 euros
Zero Terrain OÜ 391 600 euros
Ministry of Climate 315 103 euros
OÜ Kerogen 288 056 euros
OÜ Utilitas Wind 284 187 euros
3BIRD OÜ 266 400 euros
AS Tallinna Vesi
euros Government Office
euros
euros Transport Administration
Mercator Océan 220 351 euros
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2021–2025
In the reporting year, 116 cooperation agreements were signed with 90 companies and public bodies, for a total of approximately 6 million euros, with expected revenues spread over the years 20252028. The cooperation agreements with the largest contract value were signed with OÜ Inseneribüroo STEIGER (Department of Marine Systems), MétéoFrance (Department of Marine Systems), WiSo Engineering OÜ (Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics), Enefit Wind Purtse AS (Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics) and SIA “TCK” (Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics).
TalTech participated as a subcontracting partner in four collaborative projects funded by the Programme for Applied Research (PAR):
• “Sulphur reduction technology in heavy fuel oil and alternative sulphur-rich fuels” in cooperation with Elteks Group OÜ (Virumaa College and Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics).
• “Development of cell-based assays for modes of action analysis of compounds under development by Protobios OÜ” in collaboration with ProtoBioS OÜ (Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology).
• “Development of LWIR diapason measurement methodology and shielding material prototype” in cooperation with DefForce OÜ (Department of Software Science, and Department of Materials and Environmental Technology).
• “An electricity consumption forecasting model” in cooperation with Tarkvõrk OÜ (Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics)
The Just Transition Fund measure aims to strengthen cooperation between research institutions and companies to promote knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship in Ida-Viru County. Since the start of the project in 2023, representatives of 75 companies have participated in networking events organised by Virumaa College; the first R&D and service contracts were signed in 2024. 2024 also saw the Just Transition Forum “From Smart Shrinkage to Sustainable Large-Scale Industry” take place. “Visions for the Future of Ida-Viru County” brought together entrepreneurs, decision-makers and local leaders.
As at 31 December 2024, AI & Robotics Estonia Centre AIRE (hereinafter AIRE Centre) had been operating as one of 157 European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) for 30 months.
In 2024, the provision of services to small and medium-sized enterprises continued. At the end of the year, AIRE had over 270 industry clients. Training was offered to 208 participants, 31 teams received financing for their “test before invest” demo projects, 115 counselling sessions were conducted on the feasibility of robotics and artificial intelligence, and more than 700 participants attended the monthly AIRE club meetings. The first Estonian clients have also been referred to other EDIH services and vice versa.
In the spring of 2024, the European Commission rated the AIRE EDIH management system highly in its mid-term evaluation, making the AIRE Centre one of the best EDIH centres in the EU. The current grant agreement on funding AIRE services will run until mid-2025. In 2024, we continued to prepare the project for the new funding period and to formulate the AIRE Strategy 2025+.
For the seventh year in row, TalTech Entreprise Academy, in cooperation with Tallinn Enterprise Centre, continued in 2024 a series of webinars for entrepreneurs to discuss topics related to entrepreneurship, economy and technological developments and to exchange contacts and share experience. More than 300 entrepreneurs or people interested in entrepreneurship attended the webinars; recordings of the webinars were later viewed nearly 500 times.
The number of queries run in the query portal Adapter.ee was 65 in the reporting period; 5 queries were of interest to the university and 12 queries went directly to the laboratories of the university.
By the year end, the number of laboratories with updated data had increased to 37, which represents 93% of all laboratories. A total of 440
Five-year growth 18%
* Revenue from grant-funded projects is included in revenue from research and development project grants (see page 19)
laboratory services can be found with the help of the digital search tool TalTech laboriteenused ja teadustaristu (TalTech Laboratory Services and Research Infrastructure). As at 31 December 2024, the number of accredited laboratories was 9 at the university. With the support of the Just Transition Fund, there will be five research and experimental laboratories equipped at Virumaa College in the coming years, and with the support of the ASTRA+ programme, investments will be made in upgrading research infrastructure and equipment.
In 2024, major cooperation agreements were also signed with public bodies. Three big ones stand out. The contract with the Government Office focuses on an industrial research project on asphalt mix design with optimal lignin content for Estonian conditions, which will be carried out by the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Cooperation with the Environment Agency was launched with a project on open sea and coastal waters monitoring, led by the Department of Marine Systems. The contract with the Ministry of Finance covers the research and development of the Centre of Excellence for Fiscal Competence and Financial Literacy, and the development of data-based methodologies and tools for the management of public real estate policy, and research advice, which is the responsibility of the Department of Economics and Finance.
In 2024, an international partner for the Department of Marine Systems continued to be the Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology, to which the Department leased out the research vessel Salme. The Department of Law started new programmes
in cooperation with the Azerbaijani Notaries Association to improve the education process for legal staff, and with the Azerbaijani Ministry of Justice to enhance training for judges. The Department of Computer Systems is conducting research commissioned by Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.
In 2024, the university joined the SCCE – Swedish Chamber of Commerce Estonia through the School of Business and Governance, which will open up new opportunities for cooperation and participation in the international business network.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND COMMERCIALISATION
2024 was the year of the highest number of invention disclosures in TalTech history: the academic units filed 22 new applications to register objects of industrial property rights, which was twice the usual number of invention disclosures
The university has set up an expert committee on industrial property, which makes reasoned recommendations on the legal protection of industrial property. In 2024, 77 decisions were made to seek legal protection of inventions, to maintain the validity of a patent or patent application, or to withdraw a patent application.
In 2024, we filed 27 new patent applications, including 8 applications in Estonia, 9 European applications, 6 international applications, 2
cations in the United States and 2 applications in Belgium.
We were granted 12 new patents, including 2 in
In order to bring together different innovation enthusiasts, the Start-up Centre, in cooperation with Tallinn Business Incubator, organises a series of events under the slogan Design Meets Science.
Estonia, 3 in Europe, 1 in the United States, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom each and 3 European patents with unitary effect which entered into force in 17 EU Member States simultaneously. The number of patents in force was 49 as at the end of the reporting period, including 22 in Estonia and 27 abroad. Overall, 56 patent applications were pending, including 16 in Estonia and 40 abroad.
Our trademark portfolio contains 39 trademarks and trademark applications, including 24 protected trademarks and trademarks pending registration in Estonia, 8 Community trademarks and 7 trademarks in foreign countries (4 in the UK, 1 in Germany, 1 in Sweden and 1 in the United States).
Technologies that are developed by university research groups are often at a low level of technology readiness and a commercialisation plan is needed to move forward. In 2024, the Technology Transfer Office dealt with nearly 40 commercialisations simultaneously instead of earlier 10. In 2024, for the first time, the researchers who carried out the development work derived private gain from the licensing. We awarded eight development grants to fund the development and testing of existing or future intellectual property of the university and to identify the commercial potential of the inventions and commercialise them:
• “Development of a heat treatment chamber: heat treatment for conventional steel grades and additively manufactured components” (Marek Tarraste; 39,040 euros).
• “Development of a prototype device for the characterisation of solid material properties by means of a statistical distribution graph of digital image elements” (Heiko Põdersalu; 48,000 euros).
• “RoboTee” (Janika Leoste; 18,500 euros)
• “Universal Contactless Charging (UCC) parking network for light electric vehicles” (Oleksandr Husev; 30,000 euros)
In 2024, four thematic training courses were organised on intellectual property, which helped researchers relate to a specific topic and consolidate their knowledge in line with their own field of research.
START-UPS
The sale of technologies to companies (that is, the transfer of university R&D results from the university to a company) is usually done under licensing agreements, signed either with an existing company or a university spin-off established for this purpose.
TalTech aims to increase the number of spin-offs created by the university staff. In 2024, we simplified many of the processes, rules and regulations related to the creation and development of spinoffs: we introduced the KTH Innovation Readiness Model to monitor and guide the development of teams with spin-off potential. The development grants awarded by the university also facilitate the creation of spin-offs.
In 2024, one new licensing agreement was signed with OÜ Kerogen for the production of 3,5-dimethoxytoluene (3,5-DMT) from dephenolisation residues of shale oil production. At the end of the reporting period, the university had 9 existing licensing agreements. The revenue generated from the licensing agreements increased by 68%
year-on-year, amounting to 30,046 euros in 2024 and met the target.
Three new companies have been added to the list of the university's spin-offs: Wutany Technologies OÜ, which is developing contact-free charging systems for light electric vehicles; DSxOS OÜ, which is developing a modular software platform for installers of electrical systems technology, and C2Grid OÜ, which aims to seamlessly connect human and autonomous robotic assets through an innovative human-machine interface, providing real-time resource management and secure communication.
The total number of TalTech's spin-offs as at the end of 2024 was 21 and the volume of investments involved in the spin-offs was 6 million euros. The spin-off Mindchip OÜ succeeded in concluding a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), in securing a Horizon grant CERTIFAI, and in signing a contract with the BLRT Yards to build an autonomous robot vessel, MC4000, for waste and oil spill cleanup. A pre-acquisition agreement was signed with SafePAS OÜ (Drug Hunter), which will be implemented if raising money for investment is successful. SafePas OÜ also won first prize in the sTARTUp Day competition.
In order to support the creation of spin-offs, we implemented the pre-incubation programme “From Science to Business!” in cooperation with the University of Tartu. The number of teams advised was 40, with a total of 65 researchers participating in the programmes. To motivate the creation of spin-offs, the university also provides financial support to the departments that set up spin-offs: for each spin-off in which the university acquires an ownership interest, the department is rewarded 50,000 euros.
One of the university's objectives is also to increase the number of start-ups created by students. To this end, the university offered entrepreneurship
as part of each study programme, along with projects, programmes and events; problem and project-based learning also contributes to this (see the section Students and study on page 23).
Student organisations are also active, and in 2024 they set up Startup Garage, which aims to boost student entrepreneurship. Hackathons organised by the three Baltic technical universities, such as the Baltic AI Hack, MarineHäkk and BuildA-Thon, organised under the auspices of Solaride, are good examples.
TalTech, together with several partners, launched the web-based UNITeD pre-incubation programme to support the creation of new (deeptech) companies. Hundreds of students from Estonia and from countries of other project partners participated in the programme. The programme is open until the end of 2025 and students can get credit points for participating.
We advised 51 student teams; 423 students participated in the programmes and hackathons. The students who completed TalTech programmes founded 23 other start-ups in 2024: Nörd OÜ, MINOS ANALYTICS OÜ, Arcade Holdings OÜ, JLM Creations OÜ, DoBu Technology OÜ, StarGaze Designs OÜ, Prokoda EST OÜ, Seresuli OÜ, Gendrick OÜ, RoadEye OÜ, Gubi Group OÜ, Mobile Mapping Fieldwork Solutions OÜ, PowergridPlus OÜ, Stoene OÜ, Issak Consulting OÜ, Eduhoovus OÜ, Tops Capital OÜ, HERMVEST OÜ, Luviory OÜ, EPSKAR OÜ, PIUS SOCIETY OÜ, Euler Analytics OÜ, Baas Kapital OÜ.
We supported activities of the start-up fund MTÜ Prototron. In 2024, Prototron held two application rounds and, among others, several teams with a TalTech background received funding. For example, Ilus Bike, which is developing modular electric bikes, received a grant. The star-up was founded thanks to the experience gained from the Formula Student Team Tallinn while studying at TalTech.
Rector Tiit Land and Margus Rink, Chairman of the Management Board of Coop Bank, signed a cooperation agreement, which aims to diversify teaching, support students, train bank staff and carry out research.
OUR ORGANISATION, PEOPLE AND CAMPUSES
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2021–2025 performance target
Gender-based occupational integration
0.881 0.875 0.883 0.896
0.827 0.842 0.856 0.871 0.885 0.900
Baseline 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
The gender-based occupational integration index is a segregation index based on salary levels. The index measures whether there is a difference in the relative presence of men and women on a given salary level. The index is calculated on the scale from 0 to 1, where 1 corresponds to full gender-based integration.
The reputation index is derived from the annual reputation survey of Estonian universities conducted by Kantar Emor among the Estonian population, based on the TRI*M method. The index takes into account a number of different aspects of university reputation. The scale is comparable to other Estonian universities.
Share of voice
Baseline 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
The share of voice indicator shows the proportion of TalTech’s media coverage relative to the other two biggest universities in Estonia (the University of Tartu and Tallinn University). Monitoring covers the mentions of the keywords, persons and activities related to the universities in TV, radio, print and online media and other related information.
Employee satisfaction index (TRI*M)
Baseline 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
The employee satisfaction index is based on the TRI*M method developed by Kantar Emor, which measures employee commitment, focusing on aspects that employer can influence in increasing and maintaining commitment. The survey is conducted every second year.
INCREASE IN AVERAGE SALARY AT TALTECH (gross)
Average salary, five-year growth at TalTech
39.9%
OUR PEOPLE
In 2024, ensuring the next generation of Estonian academic staff was brought into focus. Our recruitment process was reviewed and a framework for employer branding will be developed in order to increase the attractiveness of academic careers in society.
The university was awarded the Estonian Human Rights Centre's “We Respect Differences” label, which confirms the University of Technology's commitment to creating an inclusive work environment that values diversity. Equal treatment indicators also show progress. The gender-based occupational integration index has increased to 0.896 (2022: 0.875), exceeding the target of 0.885 set for 2024. The gender pay gap has also been on a downward trend.
There has been a significant increase in the numbers of in-house trainings and participants in the field of well-being at work and mental health. The average salary of the academic staff increased by 16.2% in 2024. This was boosted by a salary supplement paid from the Teaching Development Fund to approximately 400 members of the academic staff. In 2025, a larger proportion of the salary supplement will be added to the basic salary of the staff of departments.
Three new awards were added to the university's Rules on Recognition and Insignia:
• from 2025 onwards, the “Honor Universitatis” award will be bestowed upon staff members who have worked for the university for at least 50 years.
• Outstanding thesis supervisors will be recognised in the Supervisor of the Year competition for their effective supervision of theses.
• The Monograph, Monograph Chapter, or Textbook of the Year award will be given to the author of a first edition published in the year of nomination or the previous year, whose work is outstanding and contributes significantly to the development of the field.
CAMPUSES
The university owns real estate in Tallinn as well as in Tartu (Tartu College), Ida-Viru County (Virumaa College) and Kuressaare (Kuressaare College).
In 2024, the Real Estate Office focused on improving energy efficiency, modernising technical systems and renovating buildings. Through the management of technical systems in buildings, electricity consumption was reduced by 280 MWh (2%) and heat consumption by 1,000 MWh (6%)
compared with 2023, which also resulted in financial savings of 400,000 euros for the university.
A significant part of the savings was directed towards expanding the use of solar energy. With the help of a 1.56-million euro allocation from the Ministry of Education and Research, the installation of solar parks was continued (100,000 euros). The solar parks on the roofs of the university buildings on Mustamäe campus produced a total of 222 MWh of energy in 2024.
The same allocation was used for renovating the façade of the U06 building and the roof of the library (190,000 euros) and for preparing projects for the renovation of the heating systems in buildings U06A, U01, U05B and in the Estonian Maritime Academy (130,000 euros). In Tartu, the windows of the college building were replaced and a student canteen was furnished (82,000 euros). At the Estonian Maritime Academy, repairs were carried out to the cornice and posts on the balcony above the main entrance, and three lecture rooms were renovated (352,000 euros). The Department of Health Technologies relocated to new premises on the first floor of the library building; the premises have new audiovisual equipment and furnishings (240,000 euros). In the university sports building, technical installations were upgraded, including lighting and sound systems (332,000 euros).10 charging stations for electric cars were installed (67,000 euros). The School of Science building (SCI) was provided with uninterruptible power supply – a new main grid was built and a generator was installed (123,000 euros). A total of 10 lecture halls, group work and study rooms were renovated:
indoor climate was improved, automation was added and lighting replaced (470,000 euros).
In 2024, the transition of access systems of the university buildings to a single platform continued. The project started already in 2022 and its total cost is 800,000 euros. In the course of the year, the access systems on the 5th floor of the sports building and the library building were renovated. The renewal of the access system of the School of Science (SCI) building will be completed in 2025 at a cost of 300,000 euros.
The automatic fire alarm control systems in buildings U01-U06, STU, NRG, LIB, SOC and MA1 was also upgraded, by bringing them onto a single platform for management and control from the control centre. A new automatic fire alarm system was installed in the Glehn’s Castle and the university's archive and server rooms were refurbished with gas fire-extinguishing systems (250,000 euros).
REPUTATION AND VISIBILITY
According to the Kantar Emor reputation survey, people highly value our degrees in the labour market, our international dimension, high-quality education, credibility and high-level research, our strength in areas of digital and new technologies, our successful alumni and our entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit. Public perceptions of a warm and friendly atmosphere, originality and differentiation from other universities, and environmental friendliness have remained lower. The university’s reputation score for the age group of 15-60 decreased slightly compared with previous years, with most universities experiencing a decline.
In recent years, the university's visibility, that is, Share of Voice (SOV) among the three largest universities has steadily increased. Compared with last year, the SOV rose from 26.88% to 27.45%. One of the biggest achievements of the university in 2024, for the first time ever, was being among the top ten organisations most frequently mentioned in the Estonian media.
In February 2024, a joint discussion platform for business, academia and public media Trialoog. taltech.ee was launched, which aims to raise the visibility of the university and the quality of its contributions. By the end of the year, the online community had reached more than 3,000 readers and the most popular news stories had been read more than 30,000 times. In the second half of the year, Trialoog debates took place, bringing together representatives from the public sector, the private sector and the academic community.
The marketing of the admission campaign helped increase enrolments at both the first and
SHARE OF TOP-OF-MIND AWARENESS
(relative to other Estonian universities)
second levels by more than 10% year on year. The volume of international marketing also increased.
In 2024, we saw record numbers of participants at the Open Doors Day, the Labyrinth Run, the Campus Festival, the Researchers’ Night. The first-ever Graduate Careers Seminar was also very popular.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
In 2023, the Information Security Division was established and the position of the Chief Information Security Officer was filled, while in 2024, the implementation of the ISO 27001 information security standard began, with a view to a successful compliance audit in 2025. An Information Security Management System (ISMS) has been established, which includes policies, procedures, guidelines and necessary resources to protect information assets; also, IT regulations and processes are continuously updated.
In 2024, a number of lecture halls were equipped with state-of-the-art audio-video technology to improve the quality of the learning environment:
SOC-211, NRG-131, U05-209, U05-105, SOC-209, VK-11, NRG-223, EMA-306 and SCI-057.
An important step was the launch of a series of training courses on presentation technology in lecture halls to ensure the effective use of the equipment.
Although no major IT infrastructure projects were carried out in 2024, the launch of the Office365 backup solution is worth noting, as are the preparations for 2025 when we intend to develop a new campus-wide WiFi solution and, towards the end of the year, upgrade the server infrastructure.
The most important IT development and management projects in 2024 were as follows:
• upgrading obsolete modules in the Study Information System
• launching the development of an information system to support research and development projects (project website)
• launching the development of a new continuing education information system
• completing the new booking solution
• completing a new environment for small purchases (the purchase of goods and services where the expenditure of public funds is less than a small purchase benchmark amount)
• completing the solutions for the updated data warehouse and educational statistics
• upgrading the Intranet self-service modules and preparing the transfer of the Intranet to a new content management platform
• outsourcing the management of the e-learning environment Moodle to a development and management partner
Launch of TalTech's business and research portal Trialoog
SERVING SOCIETY
GREEN TRANSITION IN TALTECH
At the beginning of the year, a work group started work on the roadmap for a climate-neutral university under the leadership of Jarek Kurnitski, a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. Leading scientists from all schools, as well as units of the support structure, were involved in drawing up the roadmap, which was completed by the beginning of 2025. The roadmap will help govern the university in a research-based way and sustainably.
In the first half of 2024, the Green Guide for university staff was completed, based on the best practices of European universities, highlighting and explaining ways for everyone to reduce their environmental footprint at work and at home. It will be updated in line with the recommendations of the university's Climate Neutral Roadmap.
For the second year running, the university recognised the Green Achievement of the Year, this time with two winners. This shows that the university community has an interest in contributing to sustainability. In line with the university's best practice guide for environmentally friendly events, the Campus Festival, which attracted more than 3,000 visitors, and the Residential DC Innovation Hub developed by the research group led by Dmitri Vinnikov, a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, were recognised.
Two spin-offs of TalTech’s Chemistry and Biotechnology Department won the Baltic Sustainability Award 2024. Äio Tech won in the Food
Innovations category. Their technology transforms the nature of fat production by using industrial by-products and renewable resources as raw materials and turning waste into valuable products for the food, cosmetics and chemical industries. In 2024, Äio Tech raised 6.1 million euros from venture capital funds to set up a demonstration plant in Estonia. Raw Edge won the Baltic Sustainability Awards 2024 in the science application category. The spin-off creates healthy and tasty products by using science-based fermentation technology, helping to valorize excess raw materials and creating a sustainable food system.
The biggest electronics conference in the Baltic states, held at TalTech, called for the solving of global problems with green technologies. The conference focused on devices that can help solve some of the big global challenges. The twin green and digital transition starts with devices that have a smaller environmental footprint.
At regional level, sustainable action is led by colleges. With the support of the Just Transition Fund (JTF), Virumaa College is becoming a regional centre of excellence for the green transition. Both the research investments and the new knowledge associated with teaching and learning are indirect investments that will have an impact on the business environment and society at large in Ida-Viru County in the coming years. Kuressaare College is the lead partner in the operational centre of the Programme Area of West-Estonian Biosphere; in order to raise awareness and increase visibility,
environmental education workshops were organised there, e.g. on how to improve the biodiversity of your own backyard and how to use household waste to your own advantage.
PROMOTING ENGINEERING EDUCATION
In order to meet the Engineering Academy objective of increasing the number of applicants, the Open University expanded its activities for school students already in late 2023, with both the Unicorn Squad girls' groups and the Young Engineer Programme courses proving popular. With the support of the Engineering Academy, we have reached a much wider group of young people, including girls, when popularising engineering and technology. In the course of the year, approximately a thousand new girls joined the Unicorn Squad's different age groups and 100 pupils participated in the Young Engineer Programme courses.
Cooperation of the School of Exams and Olympiads with schools is becoming more diverse every academic year, and the interest of secondary schools in TalTech's electives, lectures and workshops, research supervision and other activities is growing. A total of 70 electives were offered in 2024, with 1,700 students taking part in the courses, and TalTech researchers and lecturers contributed to 50 students' research projects. The Labyrinth Run in February was also a great success, with 459 upper secondary school seniors taking part in it; 15 of the best participants were invited to study at Tallinn University of Technology. The number of students enrolled in the School of Exams’ self-paid courses increased by 344 compared with 2023; the School of Olympiads organised four Olympiads and several competitions. The School of Technology organised a total of 38 summer schools, courses and camps for primary and secondary school pupils in the field of natural and
exact sciences and technology, with the number of participants exceeding 1,000 for the first time.
The project Tuleviku loojad / Tulevaisuuden tekijät (Future Movers and Shakers), run by the Finnish and Estonian industry associations, the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the TalTech School of Technology, is a collaborative project of Estonian and Finnish 7th-8th grade students and industrial enterprises to find innovative and sustainable solutions for businesses. The project involved 10 schools from Estonia and 9 from Finland, and the young people invented a dozen or so smart technological solutions to solve problems faced by businesses in their home countries. A total of 185 students and 10 companies from Estonia participated in the project.
The project of e-rehkendus (e-calculation), organised by Tallinn University of Technology, is based on school mathematics and is aimed at raising awareness of the importance of learning maths and applying this knowledge in everyday life. The initiative attracted a lot of attention and culminated in a public competition on 2 October, in which nearly 30,000 people took part and nearly 15,000 answers were submitted in a day. The e-calculation project was carried out in cooperation with the Estonian Public Broadcasting, the Union of School Mathematics and SEB Bank. The plan is to make the e-calculation a tradition and to organise it again in October 2025.
CULTURE AND SPORTS
In 2024, there were nine cultural collectives with 506 members active at the NGO TalTech Cultural Centre: the Academic Male Choir, the Academic Female Choir, the Chamber Choir, the Female Alumnae Choir, the Engineers’ Male Choir, the Brass Band, the BigBand, the Chamber Orchestra, and the Folk Dance Ensemble Kuljus. The biggest joint event of the year was the traditional Inventors'
ACTIVITIES OF SCHOOL STUDENTS
Five-year growth in number of Exam School participants
167%
Song and Dance Festival that is held in September as part of the TalTech’s Campus Festival.
The TalTech Cultural Achievement of the Year was the University Brass Band’s competition win in the top category and golden diploma at the International Festival of Wind Orchestras in Prague. Tarmo Kivisilla was recognised as the Best Conductor of the Festival and the Brass Band received a special prize for the performance of a compulsory piece.
The celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Tallinn University of Technology's folk dance ensemble Kuljus was chosen as the second TalTech Cultural Achievement of the Year. In the jubilee year, the ensemble collaborated with other collectives and organised events all over Estonia: the concert Salme Valgemäe 110 on the island
CULTURAL COLLECTIVES
SPORTS
TalTech/Selver men’s volleyball team were crowned champions of the Baltic Men Volleyball League
of Hiiumaa, a competition for secondary school dance groups at TalTech; mentoring sessions all over Estonia with instructors who used to be members of Kuljus; the main concert in two parts: in Narva and at the Alexela Concert Hall in Tallinn.
The TalTech Sports Club continued with five representative teams, which participated in the Estonian championships but also played in international leagues: the men's basketball team (participated in the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League), the women's volleyball team (participated in the Baltic Women’s Volleyball League), the men's volleyball team (participated in the Estonian-Latvian Men’s Volleyball League, aka Cronimet League, and the CEV Champions League), the table tennis team (the ETTU European Cup) and
TalTech Cheerleaders (European and World Championships).
A total of 141 athletes competed in the international arena, of whom 72 (51%) were students of the University of Technology. The goal is to have ¾ of the players on the elite teams be students of our university.
The Baltic League and Estonian championship titles of the men's volleyball team were chosen as the TalTech Sports Event of the Year
Other outstanding achievements:
• volleyball: (F) Estonian championship title and Cup victory.
• volleyball: (M) Estonian championship title and Baltic League gold medal.
• basketball: 5th place in the Estonian championship
• table tennis: 13 individual medals from the Estonian championships
• Cheerleaders: The 6th and 8th places at the World Championships and the 6th place at the European Championships.
LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
At the end of 2024, the library had a total of 630,532 printed items (stock units) in its collections. The library provided access to 88 fee-based databases with a total of 761,931 digital items as at
the end of the year, including 123,038 e-journals and 637,993 e-books. Two library’s own databases – Digikogu (Digital Collection) (433,738 visits; 20,867 downloads) and Teadusportaal (Research Portal) (625,494 visits) – had a total of 163,916 records as at the end of the year. Overall, 72 doctoral dissertations, 1,556 theses (including 664 master's theses, 668 bachelor's theses and 104 diploma papers) and two textbooks were entered into the Digital Collection database in 2024.
The total number of registered users was 24,132 at the end of 2024. During the year, 146 professional training sessions were carried out, attended by 2,794 people; 859 pupils took courses organised by the library.
The development of the university’s research data repository TalTechData and the TalTech Research Portal continued. Representatives of the library were active members of the development team of the new national library system, representing the views of research libraries.
In 2024, the library and the museum had a total of 36 exhibitions open to the public free of charge and 41 new literature exhibitions; a new permanent exhibition is in preparation. The museum was visited by 4,395 people and 90 new items were added to the collection, including the legacy of civil engineer August Komendant. Preparation of the publication “Tallinn University of Technology Campus on the Dunes of Mustamäe” continues (author Associate Professor Epi Tohvri).
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
STUDIES
As at 10 November 2024 (change year-on-year)
Programmes 30 (-1)
Bachelor’s 6 (0)
Master’s 15 (-1)
Doctoral 1 (0)
Integrated 4 (0)
Prof. higher education 4 (0)
Students 3,418 (+160)
International students 178 (-32)
PhD students 193 (+6) incl. industrial PhD students12 (+4)
ACADEMIC STAFF
As at 31 December 2024, including visiting staff (change year-on-year)
Academic staff 448 (+48)
Professors 59 (+1)
incl. Tenured Professors 42 (-2)
Senior Researchers 48 (-2)
Leading Researchers 6 (+3)
Researchers 78 (+7)
Early Stage Researchers 136 (+40)
Associate Professors, Senior Lecturers 50 (-2)
71 (1)
RESEARCH
Number of research publications in 2024 (as at 25 February 2025), source: SciVal (change year-on-year)
446(-5)
The most significant publications
Hassanpour, N; Chub, A; Blinov, A; Vinnikov, D. (2023). Soft Switching Bidirectional Step-Up/Down Partial Power Converter with Reduced Components Stress. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, 38 (11). DOI: 10.1109/TPEL.2023.3289061. Related projects: PRG1086. (Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics)
Gu, J; Bellone, M; Pivoňka, T; Sell, R. (2024). CLFT: CameraLiDAR Fusion Transformer for Semantic Segmentation in Autonomous Driving. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent
Vehicles. DOI: 10.1109/TIV.2024.3454971. Related projects: VFP19031EM. (Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering)
Kalbe, K.; Pärn, R.; Ruus, A.; Kalamees, T. (2024). Enhancing CLT construction – Hygrothermal modelling, novel performance criterion, and strategies for end-grain moisture safety. Journal of Building Engineering, 98, #111411. DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2024.111411. (Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture)
Altof, K; Krichevskaya, M; Preis, S; Tähemaa, T; Bolobajev, J. (2024). Ozone-assisted degradation of 2-methoxyethanol in a prototype plug flow photocatalytic reactor. Chemical Engineering Journal, 481, #148488. (Department of Materials and Environmental Technology, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering)
MANAGEMENT As at 31 December 2024
Fjodor Sergejev Dean
Jarek Kurnitski Head of the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture
Ivo Palu Head of the Department of Electrical (until 31.08.2024) Power Engineering and Mechatronics
Mart Landsberg Head of the Department of Electrical (since 01.09.2024) Power Engineering and Mechatronics
Alar Konist Head of the Department of Energy Technology
Maarja Head of the Department of Materials Grossberg-Kuusk and Environmental Technology
Kristo Karjust Head of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Merit Kindsigo Head of Kuressaare College
Aime Ruus Head of Tartu College
Mare Roosileht Head of Virumaa College
NEW PROFESSORS (excl. Assistant Professors)
Tiia Plamus Associate Professor, Materials and Environmental Technology
HIGHLIGHTS IN 2024
In 2024, all substantial activities of the Engineering Academy were planned and budgeted for 2024–2029. 30 courses were updated, while project-based and problem-based learning were included in more than 20 courses. Seven new courses are currently under development. Recruitment of teaching assistants contributed to the next generation of teaching staff, while more attention was paid to supporting and advising starting teaching staff. The Engineering Academy has now 10 focus study programmes to have a more interdisciplinary approach to the next generation of engineers.
With the support of the research and education measure of the Just Transition Fund (JTF), a new MSc programme was created, MSc in Sustainable Industry, focusing on digitalisation, automation and robotisation. Two lecturers with a PhD degree were employed. Eleven research groups were launched, of which four are led by researchers from Virumaa College. The plan is to start providing research and development services to support economic transformation in Ida-Viru County. The JTF support to the college was 861,146 euros in 2024, the measure will last until 2029.
Karl-Villem Võsa, a PhD student at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, introduced battery storage into the methodology for calculating energy performance of buildings. He created a new online tool that will become an official tool once the energy efficiency regulations enter into force on 1 March 2025. The calculator is available on
A two-stage pyrolysis method that solves complex problems of recycling composite materials, packaging and bio-waste
the website of the Ministry of Climate. kliimaministeerium. ee/hoonete-energiatohusus
Coordinated by Professor Kimmo Lylykangas, the Academy of Architecture and Urban Studies created two opensource tools and a database of materials for transparent and accurate greenhouse gas calculations: OKAS is a greenhouse gas accounting tool for companies and organisations, SARV is a civil engineering industry tool for assessing carbon footprint of buildings, and EHEA is an open-source database of emission factors for the quantification of greenhouse gases in Estonia. The open-source tools are available online at www.ghg.ee
TalTech’s Urban Water Systems Research Group coordinated the launch of DigiWater, a process for the digitalisation of water systems in Estonia in order to optimise resources, improve decision-making processes and adapt the pricing of water services to the actual investment needs. The concept was developed as a result of innovation camps and innovation simulations initiated by TalTech researchers. The Ministry of Climate organised support of 1.2 million euros to the project from the Public Sector Innovation Fund of the Government Office in late 2024.
The Power Electronics Research Group of the Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics developed and opened a unique research and demonstration
centre, the Residential DC Innovation Hub. Used for implementing and testing direct current technologies to be applied in residential buildings, it is the first DC experience centre in northern Europe. Direct current technology is transformative to the basic principles of residential energy supply, optimising energy flows and increasing the energy efficiency of future buildings: it can save up to 20% of energy and 30% of raw materials and may reduce the lifecycle costs of the energy system by 20%.
Seven people from the Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics were ranked among the Stanford/Elsevier’s top 2% most cited scientists list in their fields of research: Dmitri Vinnikov, Anton Rassolkin, Andrii Chub, Oleksandr Husev, Toomas Vaimann, Ants Kallaste and Andrei Blinov.
Researchers from the Department of Energy Technology prepared greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets for Estonia As a result of the work, two versions were prepared for Estonia: 1) a GHG budget that accounts for Estonia’s fair contribution to limiting global warming to 1.5°C; 2) a GHG budget that accounts for Estonia’s fair contribution to limiting global warming to 2.0°C. To meet the 1.5°C or 2.0°C temperature target, Estonia will need to reduce GHG emissions in energy, transport and industry significantly and at a faster pace than projected. In addition to ambitious GHG emission reductions, Estonia will need to develop and deploy carbon capture technologies.
The Department of Energy Technology completed a study commissioned by the Ministry of Climate to identify the necessary regulatory, organisational and financial interventions to increase the production and use of sustainable biogas and sustainable biomethane. The study is linked to the REPowerEU objectives: (b) increasing the deployment of sustainable biomethane in accordance with the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II / RED III), (e) accelerating the integration of renewable energy into the grid. The analysis is also featured on the ministry’s website
On 1 November 2024, a state-of-the-art meteorological station started to operate on the roof of the university’s building U06 to collect high-quality weather data, including solar data, for us.
The Custom-Art innovation project of the Department of Materials and Environmental Technology and the Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, funded from the European Union’s H2020 programme, offered an alternative to existing photovoltaic cell (PV) solutions, which often have a high environmental impact. As a result of four years of intensive work, the first prototypes of kesterites-based Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) and Product Integrated Photovoltaics (PIPV) modules were developed in collaboration with leading European research institutions and companies. The flexible and semi-transparent modules, which demonstrate improved efficiency, were successfully tested in real world conditions in Spain and Austria.
The management board of the Estonian Academy of Sciences elected Andres Krumme, Tenured Associate Professor of the Department of Materials and Environmental Technology and Head of the Laboratory of Biopolymer Technology, as a research professor for 2025–2027. His research paper “Thermoplastic derivatives of cellulose from local raw materials: preparation and applications” provides an environmentally sustainable solution to scale up the production of cellulose-based bioplastics.
In 2023–24, researchers from the Laboratory of Wood Technology carried out a project supported by the Environmental Investment Centre entitled “Applications for little-used Estonian wood species in new veneer-based products”. As resources are scarce, the world has turned its gaze towards adding value to lower-quality wood species, and the completed study showed how strong plywood and laminated veneer lumber can be made from black alder, grey alder and aspen, which are considered less valuable wood species.
A new research topic was introduced at the Laboratory of Environmental Technology within the framework of the SOURCES Centre of Excellence for research: nutrient recycling from urine and energy-efficient removal of medicines. The use of pulsed corona discharge plasma (PCDP) enables to remove drug residues from urine in an energy-efficient manner. Research and development is carried out in cooperation with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Researchers from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering developed transparent rear-earth-free ZnAl2O4 ceramics targeted at UV-C to UV-B emissions. The ability to adapt emissions and achieve high quantum yields without the use of rare earth elements opens up new prospects for the design and development of advanced luminescent materials.
Residential DC Innovation Hub, a research and demonstration centre
AI & Robotics Estonia (AIRE) successfully completed a demonstration project “Productivity analysis and production optimisation at Trimtex Baltic OÜ”, where AI solutions were applied to analyse and optimise production processes, and using the cluster analysis method, key areas were identified where production efficiency could be significantly increased. The solutions developed in this model project can be used in other companies with similar profiles.
At the Ida-Viru County adult education thanksgiving event, Virumaa College was awarded the Ida-Viru County Education Achievement of the Year 2024 special award for a micro-degree programme in chemical technology created in cooperation with Enefit Power. The micro-degree programme was created to cover specific labour market needs in the field of chemical and oil shale technology.
A two-stage pyrolysis method was chosen as the development project of the year of the School of Engineering. The method showcases a state-of-the-art process for heat treatment of waste that makes it possible to obtain synthesis gas with a high hydrogen content. The process is effective in treating different types of waste, marking an important milestone in advancing the circular economy and sustainable technologies. In October 2024, the Estonian Patent Office issued utility model certificate No 01646 for the developed method.
In the project “Creating a solution for monitoring the filling level of deep tanks”, development engineers at Virumaa innovation centre of digitalisation and green technologies (ViruTech) developed a smart sensor, which enables to monitor the filling level of waste containers or other tanks as well as other parameters such as temperature, humidity, gases, etc. In addition, a software solution they developed provides an overview of what is happening in the container and helps to prepare various reports. The software also assists in planning routes for emptying containers, using an AI-based solution. In cooperation with Tootjavastutusorganisatsioon OÜ (TVO), a producer responsibility organisation,
a follow-up project has been launched to test the use of the sensors in TVO’s containers.
Tartu College launched a project entitled “PRO-Coast, proactive approaches for social change” with the aim of analysing, through nine case studies, the factors that shape people’s behaviour and decisions concerning environmental protection in coastal areas. The aim of the project is to create effective strategies to improve environmental management and promote the sustainability of local communities.
Lehar Leetsaar, lecturer at Tartu College and Chairman of the Estonian Association of Civil Engineers, defended his doctoral thesis “The load-bearing capacity of screw piles in silty soils based on mechanical, piezocone and seismic soundings”. Geotechnical research is quite unique in Estonia; both TalTech and Aalto University contributed to the completion of the thesis.
In 2024, the Marine Technology Competence Centre MARTE of Kuressaare College was again added to the list of Estonian Research Infrastructures Roadmap compiled by the Estonian Research Council. The aim of the competence centre is to analyse interactions between technology and the environment and to develop autonomous and situation-based solutions to improve the resilience of floating vessels and maritime infrastructure in changing circumstances. The competence centre also develops capability to make model projections that can be applied to the design of floating vessels and offshore installations, as well as to the development of digital twins. MARTE also develops accredited thematic laboratories and cooperates with research institutions to develop offshore test areas and innovative technical solutions.
The Marine Technology Competence Centre of Kuressaare College and Bifrost Tug Estonia OÜ collaborated to develop an innovative removable icebreaker bow, which enhances efficiency and flexibility in providing icebreaking service.
Innovative removable icebreaking bow
Innovation in solar power technology: green and flexible solar modules
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
STUDIES
As at 10 November 2024 (change year-on-year)
Programmes 18 (0)
Bachelor’s 6 (0)
Master’s 11 (0)
Doctoral 1 (0)
Students 2,190 (-83)
International students 248 (-11)
PhD students 108 (+6)
incl. industrial PhD students 10 (-3)
RESEARCH
Number of research publications in 2024 (as at 25 February 2025), source: SciVal (change year-on-year)
322(+28)
The most significant publications
Hasan Ahmadilivani, M; Taheri, M; Raik, J; Masoud, Daneshtalab, M; Jenihhin, M. A Systematic Literature Review on Hardware Reliability Assessment Methods for Deep Neural Networks. ACM Computing Surveys, 56 (6), 2024,
MANAGEMENT As at 31 December 2024
Gert Jervan Dean
Jana Holmar Head of the Department of Health Technologies
Alar Kuusik Head of the Thomas Johann (since 01.01.2024) Seebeck Department of Electronics
Margus Kruus Head of the Department of Computer Systems
Marko Kääramees Head of the Department of Software Science
Kalle Tammemäe Head of IT College (until 01.09.2024)
Sirja Sulakatko Head of IT College (since 02.09.2024)
ACADEMIC STAFF
As at 31 December 2024, including visiting staff (change year-on-year)
Academic staff 257 (+35)
Professors 39 (+1)
incl. Tenured Professors 22 (-1)
Senior Researchers 35 (+4)
Leading Researchers 2 (0)
Researchers 50 (+16)
Early Stage Researchers 77 (+6)
Associate Professors,
Senior Lecturers 16 (0)
Lecturers 38 (+8)
1–39. DOI: 10.1145/3638242. (Department of Computer Systems)
Kalakoti, R; Bahsi, H; Nõmm, S. Improving IoT security with explainable AI: quantitative evaluation of explainability for IoT botnet detection. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 11 (10), 2024, 18237–18254. DOI: 10.1109/JIOT.2024.3360626. (Department of Software Science)
Leoste, J; Strömberg-Järvis, K; Robal, T; Marmor, K; Kangur, K; Rebane, A. Testing Scenarios for Using Telepresence Robots in Healthcare Settings. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, 24, 2024, 105–114. DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2024.01.004. (IT College)
NEW PROFESSORS (excl. Assistant Professors) ) Risto Vaarandi Tenured Associate Professor (Cyber Defence), Software Science
The main objectives for the second term of the IT Academy are to increase the number of master’s students, increase the proportion of female students and reduce drop-out rates. We launched the teaching assistants programme, replenished the toolboxes for the programme director, teaching staff and assistant programme director, and analysed the reasons for dropping out. We created a new one-year master’s programme Data and Technologies for a Digital State and a training series for IT teachers.
Researchers of the School coordinated the launch of five thematic research and development programme projects: digital health for a whole and healthy society, sustainable artificial Internet of Things, smarter use of data via machine learning, novel solutions for clinical monitoring of soft tissues and AI in cybersecurity.
IT College launched a project “IT Gate”, which allows students to solve practical tasks in their graduation theses. One example is a self-triage application which was created for Kuressaare Hospital and contains more than 315 common health problems and symptoms of illnesses.
Researchers from IT College together with AS Pihlakodu brought a robotic assistant to nursing homes for the first time in Estonia. The robotic assistant can provide patients and employees with information and entertainment, read news, play games and communicate current affairs.
As part of the HORIZON MSCA DN project, researchers from the Department of Computer Systems launched a pro-
snowy soils by reducing sinking, suction power and energy consumption in difficult terrains. The authors of the work have filed a patent application for the solution and the published research article has received wide coverage in international media.
The staff of the Department of Electronics grew by more than one and a half times, or by 16 people. This was made possible by new projects, including two development projects of the Estonian thematic research and development programme, international communication projects 5G-BALTICS, ECOeNET and ICON, nanotechnology projects CogniE-Spin, 3D-BRICKS and PROTECT, a NATO defence project.
The Innovation Festival, dedicated to the interactions between the possibilities of developing AI technologies and the needs of society, was held in June, focusing on the benefits of applying artificial intelligence in healthcare, national governance, business, defence, education, environmental protection or finance. More than 250 people attended the event on site and, for the first time, there was an exhibition area for companies and research groups.
From 6 to 13 July, the Department of Software Science, under the coordination of Professor Pawel Sobocinski, organised three flagship computer science conferences in Tallinn: the 51st EATCS International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP), the 39th Symposium on Logic in Computer Science (LICS), and the 9th International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction. The three conferences were
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND GOVERNANCE
STUDIES
As at 10 November 2024 (change year-on-year)
ACADEMIC STAFF
As at 31 December 2024, including visiting staff (change year-on-year)
19 (0) Early Stage Researchers 40 (+4) Associate Professors,
(0)
(0)
RESEARCH
Number of research publications in 2024 (as at 25 February 2025), source: SciVal (change year-on-year)
213
(+16)
The most significant publications
Marquardt, L.; Harima, A. (2024). Digital boundary spanning in the evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A dynamic capabilities perspective. Journal of Business Research, 182, #114762. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114762. (Department of Business Administration)
Roy, S.K.; Singh, G.; Hollebeek, L.D.; Shabnam, S.; Japutra, A.; van Doorn, S.; Ray, S.; Appio, F.P. (2024). Smart service value: Conceptualization, scale development, and validation in the retailing context. Technovation, 137, #103097. DOI: 10.1016/j.technovation.2024.103097. (Department of Business Administration)
MANAGEMENT As at 31 December 2024
Mari Avarmaa Dean
Karin Jõeveer Head of the Department of Economics and Finance
Erkki Karo Head of the R. Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance
Merli Reidolf Head of the Department of Business Administration
Tanel Kerikmäe Head of the Department of Law
NEW PROFESSORS (excl.
Assistant Professors)
Aki Harima Tenured Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Business Administration
Veiko Lember Tenured Full Professor of Innovation Research, R. Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance
Iivi Associate Professor, Riivits-Arkonsuo Business Administration
Mike Franz Wahl Associate Professor, Business Administration
Vasileios Kostakis Tenured Full Professor of Technology Governance and Sustainability, R. Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance
The School launched a new bachelor’s study programme, Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Circular Economy. The programme provides in-depth knowledge of entrepreneurship, new business models and the circular economy.
For the first time at the university, the School of Business and Governance started a mentoring programme “From alumni to students”, which aims to give students the opportunity to learn from industry specialists, develop their skills and prepare for navigating the Estonian labour market. For alumni, this is an opportunity to share their valuable experience and contribute to the development of the next generation of professionals.
Researchers from the Department of Business Administration carried out a study on the Estonian business environment entitled “Global Entrepreneurship Monitor” (GEM). Despite the challenges of recent years, the results of the study show that the business environment in Estonia is strong in many ways, but businesses still have growth potential and need to develop new innovative solutions.
Under the leadership of Professor Tõnn Talpsepp of the Department of Economics and Finance, a 3-year project commissioned by the Ministry of Finance “Centre of excellence for developing financial competences and financial literacy” was started. The project focuses on improving financial literacy, carrying out in-depth analyses, conducting experiments and proposing additional activities and measures to promote financial literacy.
In cooperation with the Top Civil Service Excellence Centre of the Government Office, Demos Helsinki and Akkadian OÜ, the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance launched a radical innovation development programme Spinnaker for senior managers, which aims to find and develop solutions to systemic problems in the fields of health, education, regional development and effective governance.
The Department of Business Administration contributed to enhancing Tallinn’s international research cooperation and visibility by focusing on innovation and sustainability issues. The innovation conference of the International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM) brought together more than 500 specialists and influential opinion leaders from all over the world. More than 100 people participated in the OpenInnoTrain training for doctoral students. The DREAM+PLAN project, with a funding of nearly 1 million euros, is a partnership with the prestigious RMIT University of Australia for training doctoral students and early stage researchers.
The NordBiz network’s intensive week of interdisciplinary project-based learning for students was held in Estonia. The learning week has been held for many years at various
universities in the Baltic and Nordic countries. The training programme, built on group work, found some solutions to the circular economy challenges faced by Estonian companies, especially in the fashion and textile industry. 32 students from eight countries participated in the event.
The Department of Law started with a popular series of events in legal design. Ebru Metin, a PhD student, coordinated the organisation of seminars, a book presentation, presentations by foreign professors and workshops. The participants included representatives of the public sector and practitioners, as well as researchers from different scientific disciplines.
“Just transition governance models and entrepreneurship pathways: monitoring and analyses”, a project funded by the Just Transition Fund, was launched to monitor and analyse changes in just transition policies, and changes in business models and value chains that occur as a result of these in Ida-Viru County. Researchers from the Department of Business Administration and the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance participate in the project in cooperation with the University of Tartu.
At the initiative of Associate Professor Thomas Hoffmann, the Department of Law joined MIPDaL, a high-level and integrated international study programme at master level, which aims to provide master’s students with cutting-edge training in intellectual property and data law.
Tiina Randma-Liiv, a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences and Professor at the Ragnar Nurkse Department, was elected Head of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Estonian Academy of Sciences.
On the anniversary of the birth of Academy Member
Mihhail Bronštein, the Estonian Academy of Sciences presented Mihhail Bronštein awards in economics. A prize of 10,000 euros for significant and already applied achievements in economics was awarded to Tairi Room, Adjunct Professor at the Department of Economics and Finance, and Merike Kukk, Senior Researcher, for a series of articles entitled “Distribution of wealth within households and wealth inequality”. A prize of 5,000 euros for outstanding innovative applications in economics was awarded to Merle Küttim, Junior Professor of Innovation and Knowledge Transfer at the Department of Business Administration, for a series of scientific articles entitled “Commercialisation of university-generated knowledge”.
Kadri Männasoo, Professor of Applied Econometrics, is a member of the Expert Panel on Competitiveness at the Economic Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu. She co-authored a report on competitiveness which focuses on the future prospects, opportunities and obstacles of the Estonian economy and gives promising advice on economic policy.
SCHOOL OF SCIENCE
STUDIES
As at 10 November 2024 (change year-on-year)
ACADEMIC STAFF
As at 31 December 2024, including visiting staff (change year-on-year)
1 (0)
Students 720 (+98)
International students 62 (7)
PhD students 154 (+8)
incl. industrial PhD students 35 (+16)
RESEARCH
Number of research publications in 2024 (as at 25 February 2025), source: SciVal (change year-on-year)
(-53)
The most significant publications
Hattich G.S.I., Jokinen S., Sildever S. et al. (2024). Temperature optima of a natural diatom population increases as global warming proceeds. Nature Climate Change, 14, 518–525. DOI: 10.1038/s41558-024-01981-9. (Department of Marine Systems)
MANAGEMENT As at 31 December 2024
Andrus Salupere Dean
Olle Hints Head of the Department of Geology
Pirjo Spuul Head of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology
Jaan Janno Head of the Department of Cybernetics
Rivo Uiboupin Head of the Department of Marine Systems
Academic staff 262 (+18)
Professors 33 (+2)
incl. Tenured Professors 17 (+1)
Senior Researchers 43 (-3)
Leading Researchers 4 (-1)
Researchers 41 (-1)
Early Stage Researchers 99 (+19)
Associate Professors, Senior Lecturers 24 (0)
Lecturers 18 (+2)
Rooda I.*, Hassan J., Hao J., Wagner M., MoussaudLamodière E., Jääger K., Otala M., Knuus K., Lindskog C., Papaikonomou K., Gidlöf S., Langenskiöld C., Vogt H., Frisk P., Malmros J., Tuuri T., Salumets A., Jahnukainen K., VelthutMeikas A., Damdimopoulou P*. (2024). In-depth analysis of transcriptomes in ovarian cortical follicles from children and adults reveals interfollicular heterogeneity. Nature Communications, 15 (1), 6989. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-02451185-0. (Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology)
Eelsalu M.*, Montoya R.D., Aramburo D., Osorio A.F., Soomere T. (2024). Spatial and temporal variability of wave energy resource in eastern Pacific from Panama to the Drake Passage. Renewable Energy, 224, 120180. DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.120180. (Department of Cybernetics)
NEW PROFESSORS (excl. Assistant Professors)
Rivo Uiboupin Tenured Associate Professor of Remote Sensing of Marine Systems, Department of Marine Systems
HIGHLIGHTS IN 2024
Petri-Jaan Lahtvee, Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology and founder of the biotechnology start-up ÄIO Tech, was awarded the Order of the White Star, 4th class.
We participate in the work of two Estonian centres of excellence in research.
• The Centre of Excellence in Circular Economy for Strategic Mineral and Carbon Resources is led by Professor Riina Aav and includes research groups from the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology and the Department of Geology of the School of Science; the Department of Materials and Environmental Technology of the School of Engineering; and Virumaa College.
• A research group led by Professor Siim Veski from the Department of Geology participates as a partner in the Estonian Roots Centre of Excellence for transdisciplinary studies on ethnogenesis and cultural diversity.
A research group led by Professor Petri-Jaan Lahtvee participates in the Teaming project DigiBio, which focuses on digitalisation, bio-economy and sustainability, which are high-priority scientific areas in national, regional and EU strategies and policies. TalTech provides a bioengineering platform to create functional enzymes that can be used to decompose industrial by-products generated in Estonia and elsewhere, in addition to their use in the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry or in the process of producing chemicals in extracellular environments.
Professor Tõnis Timmusk was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Estonian Society of Human Genetics for his long-term contribution to the study of the nervous system function and the genetic mechanisms of neurological diseases.
Äio Tech, a spin-off company of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, was awarded the Tallinn entrepreneurship award of Bright Starter 2024 and it won the Baltic Sustainability Awards 2024 in the category of food innovations.
Raw Edge, a spin-off company of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, won the Baltic Sustainability Awards 2024 in the category of science application and the 4NGELS Pithing Competition.
An article on the scientific achievements of the year published by the newspaper Postimees highlighted three research papers prepared at the School of Science: “Climate change may not have caused the extinction of mammoths”, “Estonian scientists as pioneers of a novel mining strategy
in the world” and “New possibilities for treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases”.
Doctoral students and early stage researchers from the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology performed successfully in the competition “Science in 3 minutes” of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. Inge Varik was chosen as the competition laureate, Sigrid Kirss was invited to perform at the final gala and Inna Lipova was a finalist in the English-language competition. Inge Varik was also awarded the title of the Best Young Scientist at the XXVI Annual Conference of the Estonian Society of Human Genetics.
Hardi Vanaveski, Riin Satsi and Annela Avarlaid received prizes at the National Contest for University Students.
Three research papers by school students supervised by researchers of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology won prizes at the Science Festival for School Students and at the National Contest for Young Scientists.
The Department of Geology organised an annual conference for Estonian mining researchers and enthusiasts entitled “Geology: from Climate to Circular Economy”. The conference, held on 4 April, was attended by more than 210 people, making it the most popular conference of Estonian geologists in decades. See taltech.ee/aprillikonverents.
The XVI Science Conference of the School of Science took place on 21 November. The conference featured presentations by national research awards laureates and foreign guests as well as professors and researchers of the School of Science, including doctoral students, see taltech.ee/en/ school-of-science/conference
The activities of the Future Natural Scientist Programme TULP, launched in cooperation with the School’s departments, continued. The programme gives school students interested in science the opportunity to improve their knowledge through practical activities. We also continued to organise the Science Day for secondary school students.
The online Physics Cup – TalTech competition, organised by Professor Jaan Kalda, attracted a record number of participants (1400) from a record number of countries (90). We have been organising this international competition since 2012, and since 2019 the competition has been called the Physics Cup – TalTech. Professor Kalda is also President and Chief Organiser of the European Physics Olympiad; the 2024 competition held in Georgia had 256 contestants from 54 countries.
ESTONIAN MARITIME ACADEMY
STUDIES
As at 10 November 2024 (change year-on-year)
ACADEMIC STAFF
As at 31 December 2024, including visiting staff (change year-on-year)
Programmes 6 (0)
Master’s 2 (0)
Prof. higher education 4 (0)
Students 477 (-5)
International students 0 (0)
PhD students 19 (+8)
incl. industrial PhD students 3 (+1)
RESEARCH
Number of research publications in 2024 (as at 25 February 2025), source: SciVal (change year-on-year)
41(+19)
The most significant publications
Liu, C.; Kulkarni, K.; Suominen, M.; Kujala, P.; Musharraf, M. (2024). On the data-driven investigation of factors
MANAGEMENT As at 31 December 2024
Roomet Leiger Director
Katre Koit Study Director
Kristel Toom Director of Research and Development
Jarmo Kõster Head of Infrastructure Centre
Danel Tüür Head of Maritime Education Centre
Heili Kangust Head of Centre of Academic Affairs
Academic staff
60 (+6)
Professors 6 (+1)
incl. Tenured Professors 2 (0)
Senior Researchers 3 (+1)
Researchers 7 (+6)
Early Stage Researchers 13 (+4)
Associate Professors, Senior Lecturers 8 (-1)
Lecturers 23 (-5)
affecting the need for icebreaker assistance in icecovered waters. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 200, 103456. DOI: 10.1016/j.coldregions.2023.103456.
Niazmand Bilandi, R.; Mancini, S.; Dashtimanesh, A.; Tavakoli, S. (2024). A revisited verification and validation analysis for URANS simulation of planing hulls in calm water. Ocean Engineering, 293, 116589. DOI: 10.1016/j. oceaneng.2023.116589.
Hunt, T.; Tapaninen, U.; Palu, R.; Laasma, A. (2024). Small island public transport service levels: Operational model for Estonia. TransNav, 18 (2), 315–322. DOI: 10.12716/1001.18.02.07.
NEW PROFESSORS
(excl. Assistant Professors)
Jakub Jerzy Adjunct Professor Montewka
HIGHLIGHTS IN 2024
The Estonian Maritime Academy saw the defence of the first doctoral thesis in its history. The Maritime Academy started with doctoral studies in maritime sciences in autumn 2020 and by 2024 there were already 21 doctoral students.
The Estonian Maritime Academy started cooperation with Holland America Line, a prominent cruise company of the Carnival Corporation group. The collaboration gives students exceptional opportunities to gain practical experience and advance their careers in the maritime industry.
For the first time in Estonia, Polar Code Advanced training was prepared and carried out at the Simulator Centre of the Estonian Maritime Academy. The training aimed to provide participants with extended knowledge for assessing different ice conditions, knowledge and skills for navigation in ice conditions and skills for operating various ships in polar waters.
We successfully passed the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) audit, which confirms the high quality of the Maritime Academy’s study programmes in Navigation and Ship Engineering and its general management.
The Estonian Maritime Academy initiated the signing of a memorandum of understanding between TalTech, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Singapore Marine Institute (SMI), the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and the CR14 Foundation from Estonia to collaborate on maritime cybersecurity research and development activities.
The first phase of a digital twin of the training ship Sinilind was completed. Digital twin is a revolutionary advancement in maritime education.
The Estonian Maritime Academy marked its 10th anniversary as TalTech Estonian Maritime Academy. On 23 April 2014, the then Minister of Education and Research Jevgeni Ossinovski, the Rector of the Tallinn University of Technology Andres Keevallik and the Vice-Rector of Development of the Estonian Maritime Academy in the capacity of Rector Roomet Leiger signed a merger agreement between Tallinn University of Technology and the Estonian Maritime Academy, integrating the academy as part of the university as of 1 August 2014.
The popular maritime-themed hackathon MarineHäkk, organised in cooperation between the Estonian Maritime Academy and the Port of Tallinn, was held for the fourth time, bringing together students, scientists and experts to solve
important challenges related to the Baltic Sea environment. A total of six participating teams included TalTech students, researchers, industry experts and representatives of companies. The Hackathon was won by an innovative idea to use sheet pile wall elements made of recycled polymer composite in the construction of port facilities. The solution would extend a lifespan of port facilities, contribute to a circular economy of materials and reduce the environmental impact on marine ecosystems. The test solution is in the development phase.
A scholarship fund “Tuleviku lainelööja” (Future wave-rider) was established with the aim of popularising professions in the maritime sector and supporting students of the Maritime Academy in their studies.
The magazine Meremees celebrated the 35th anniversary of its first issue. The magazine started out as a professional newspaper of the Estonian Shipping Company in 1989. It has survived the lay-off of the editorial staff in the 1990s and it has also been published as an insert in another magazine. Over time, it has become a quarterly magazine. For 35 years, Meremees has diligently recorded maritime events, establishing itself as a reliable and respected source of maritime history.
For the first time in its history, the Maritime Academy took on the role of lead partner of a consortium of international research projects in two projects that started in 2024: BALTIC-FIT (Horizon Europe, Twinning: 1.5 million euros) and REISFER (Interreg: 3.76 million euros). The BALTIC-FIT project, funded by the Horizon Europe Programme under the Twinning instrument, will build a network of excellence between organisations in the Baltic Sea region to enable maritime transport to meet ‘Fit for 55’ regulations on decarbonisation. The REISFER project aims to improve intermodal transport nodes in island ferry traffic by reducing carbon emissions by 10–20% on selected routes in Estonia, Finland, the Åland Islands and Sweden.
The Maritime Academy started offering maritime electives in general education schools with the aim of popularising maritime education among young people and introducing job opportunities in the maritime sector.
The Green Skills Programme project “Green skills to support the green transition of businesses” reached the end of the first phase. The programme’s transport services consortium is led by the Maritime Academy. As part of the project, several subjects and study programmes offered by the Maritime Academy will be updated.
FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
SHORT OVERVIEW
The most significant development in 2024 was Estonia’s emergence from a 10-quarter economic downturn. Although the gross domestic product declined by 0.3% on an annual basis, it grew by 1.2% in the last quarter. Price inflation and growth in labour costs continued to decelerate. While consumer confidence remained low, industrial confidence improved.
The operating revenue of the Tallinn University of Technology group grew by 12.6% to 159 million euros, driven by competition-based revenues resulting from the implementation of EU funding programmes for the period 2021–2027 (+24%) and operational funding from the state (+12%). Revenue from grants related to assets decreased by 69%. Total assets increased by 24.5 million euros due to growth in deferred grant income, which also increased cash and cash equivalents. Investments in non-current assets fell by 41.5% to 6.1 million euros. Finance income amounted to 2 million euros.
The university does not use financial instruments and its exposure to currency risk is minimal since
operating revenue is generated and operating expenses are incurred in euros and foreign currency balances are insignificant. The main sources of credit risk are R&D and service contracts and tuition fees. In 2024, expenses from doubtful and uncollectible receivables accounted for 0.02% of operating revenue.
In 2025, operating revenue is expected to increase by 9%. Operational funding from the state is expected to increase by 7% and competition-based funding for research and education by 8%. Revenue from R&D and service contracts is expected to decline by 7%. After a fall of 3.4 million euros in 2024, revenue from grants related to assets is expected to grow by 4.1 million euros through support from the Just Transition Fund.
However, expenses are expected to increase faster than revenues. Planned investments in non-current assets amount to 16.2 million euros, while staff costs and other operating expenses are expected to rise by 14%. Part of these expenses are planned to be covered by accumulated surpluses and the university expects to end 2025 with a net deficit of 2.9 million euros.
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
CONSOLIDATED OPERATING REVENUE AND EXPENSES IN 2020–2024
revenue
For more detailed information about revenues and expenses, see the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
TALLINN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY GROUP IN 2024 (in thousands of euros)
Subsidiaries
Tallinn University of Technology group (intragroup
KEY FINANCIAL INDICATORS AND RATIOS
(consolidated)
Forecast
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
BALANCE SHEET
The notes on pages 68 to 89 are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE (in
The notes on pages 68 to 89 are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
(in euros)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The consolidated financial statements of the Tallinn University of Technology group for the year ended 31 December 2024 comprise the financial information of Tallinn University of Technology (the parent) and its subsidiaries (together referred to as ’the group’), as well as the group’s investments in associates. The consolidated financial statements of the Tallinn University of Technology group for 2024 have been prepared in accordance with the Estonian Financial Reporting Standard. The main requirements of the Estonian Financial Reporting Standard are set out in the Estonian Accounting Act and more specific guidance is provided in the Public Sector Financial Accounting and Reporting Guidelines.
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis unless stated otherwise in these accounting policies.
The consolidated financial statements are presented in euros.
The consolidated financial statements for 2024 comprise the financial information of Tallinn University of Technology (the parent) and its subsidiaries MTÜ TTÜ Üliõpilasküla, MTÜ TTÜ Spordiklubi and MTÜ TTÜ Kultuurikeskus. Tallinn University of Technology is the sole owner of all the subsidiaries. All the subsidiaries operate in Estonia. Further information about the subsidiaries is provided in note 8. Investments in E-Kyla Arendus OÜ and TFTAK AS are accounted for as investments in associates. Further information about the associates is provided in note 7.
PREPARATION OF CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
BASIS OF CONSOLIDATION
In preparing consolidated financial statements, the financial statements of Tallinn University of Technology and all subsidiaries under its control are combined line by line. All intragroup receivables and liabilities, transactions and any resulting unrealised profits and losses are eliminated.
SUBSIDIARIES
A subsidiary is an entity controlled by the group. Control is presumed to exist when the group holds, directly or indirectly, over 50% of the voting power of an entity or has the
power to govern an entity’s operating and financial policies by some other means.
The term ‘subsidiary’ also covers non-corporate entities (non-profit associations). The existence of control of and significant influence over non-corporate entities is determined by considering, among other factors, whether the assets of the entity will transfer to the parent when the entity is liquidated. When the parent has control of a non-corporate entity (generally assumes holding over 50% of voting power), the investment is accounted for as a wholly-held investment.
A subsidiary is included in the consolidated financial statements from the date the group gains control to the date the group loses control of it.
Acquisitions of subsidiaries are accounted for using the purchase method (except for business combinations involving entities under common control, which are accounted for using the modified purchase method). Under the purchase method, the acquired subsidiary’s assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities (i.e. the net assets acquired) are recognised at their fair values and the difference between the cost of the interest acquired and the fair value of the net assets acquired is recognised as positive or negative goodwill.
From the date of acquisition, the group’s interest in the acquired subsidiary’s assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities and any goodwill acquired are recognised in the consolidated balance sheet and the acquired subsidiary’s revenue and expenses are recognised in the consolidated statement of financial performance. Positive goodwill is recognised as an intangible asset.
When a subsidiary is sold during the reporting period, its revenue and expenses are included in the consolidated statement of financial performance until the date of disposal. The difference between the sales price and the carrying amount of the subsidiary’s net assets (incl. goodwill) in the group’s balance sheet as at the date of sale is recognised as a gain or loss on the sale of the subsidiary.
If part of a subsidiary is sold and the parent loses control (voting power decreases below 50%) but retains some ownership interest, consolidation of the entity is discontinued as of the date of sale and the parent’s remaining interest in the entity’s assets liabilities and goodwill is accounted for as an investment in an associate or a financial asset.
The carrying amount of the investment retained in a former subsidiary is regarded as its deemed cost.
ASSOCIATES
An associate is an entity over which the group has significant influence but not control. Significant influence is generally presumed to exist when the group holds 20% to 50% of the voting power of an entity. In the consolidated financial statements, investments in associates are accounted for using the equity method. Under the equity method, an investment is initially recognised at cost and its carrying amount is subsequently adjusted to recognise the investor’s share of changes in the investee’s net assets (both changes in the investee’s profit or loss and other items of net assets) and the elimination or amortisation of the difference identified in the purchase price allocation between the fair value and carrying amount of the investee’s assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities. If the group’s share of losses of an associate accounted for under the equity method exceeds the carrying amount of the investment in the associate, the carrying amount of the investment is reduced to zero and such non-current receivables that, in substance, form part of the investment are written down. Further losses are accounted for off the balance sheet. If the group has incurred legal or constructive obligations on behalf of the associate, both the liability and loss under the equity method are recognised in the consolidated financial statements.
INVESTMENTS IN FOUNDATIONS AND NON-PROFIT ASSOCIATIONS
Investments in foundations and non-profit associations are accounted for as follows:
• When the group has control of a foundation or non-profit association (generally assumes holding over 50% of voting power), the investment is accounted for as a wholly-held investment.
• When the group has significant influence over a foundation or non-profit association (generally assumes holding 20% to 50% of voting power), no investment or financial asset is recognised in the consolidated balance sheet (contributions to the investee’s capital are accounted for as expenses on support provided).
The existence of control of non-corporate entities is determined by considering, among other factors, whether the assets of the entity will transfer to the group when the entity is liquidated.
OTHER INVESTMENTS
Investments in shares and other equity instruments (except for investments in subsidiaries and associates) whose fair value cannot be measured reliably are measured at cost less any impairment losses.
During the reporting period, the group acquired a 10% interest in C2Grid OÜ for 280 euros.
At 31 December 2024, the group’s other investments also included investments in IMECC OÜ (10.53% interest), Eliko Tehnoloogia Arenduskeskus OÜ (10.04% interest), Mindchip OÜ (9% interest) and äio tech OÜ (2.74% interest).
PARENT’S PRIMARY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS IN THE NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In accordance with the Estonian Accounting Act, the notes to the consolidated financial statements have to include the separate primary financial statements of the group’s parent (the consolidating entity): the balance sheet and the statements of financial performance, cash flows and changes in net assets. The parent’s separate primary financial statements are prepared using the same accounting policies as those applied in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements. In the parent’s separate primary financial statements presented in the notes to the consolidated financial statements, investments in subsidiaries and associates are measured at cost less any impairment losses.
FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS AND FINANCIAL ASSETS AND LIABILITIES DENOMINATED IN A FOREIGN CURRENCY
Any currency other than the functional currency, the euro (the group’s functional currency), is regarded as a foreign currency. A transaction in a foreign currency is recorded by applying the official exchange rate of the European Central Bank quoted at the date of the transaction. At the reporting date, monetary assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency (receivables and loans to be settled in cash) are translated into euros using the exchange rates of the European Central Bank ruling at that date. Exchange gains and losses arising on translation are recognised in the statement of financial performance in the period in which they arise.
FINANCIAL ASSETS
The group has the following financial assets: cash and cash equivalents, trade and other receivables and other investments.
Trade and other receivables (accrued income, loans provided and other current and non-current receivables), except for items acquired for resale, are measured at their amortised cost.
The amortised cost of current receivables is generally equal to their nominal value (less any repayments and any impairment losses). Therefore, current receivables are measured at the amount that is expected to be collectible.
Non-current receivables are recognised initially at
the fair value of the consideration receivable. After initial recognition, they are measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method. Non-current receivables that do not bear interest are measured at their present value by applying a discount rate of 4% per year.
Financial assets measured at fair value through surplus or deficit (derivative financial instruments) are initially recognised at fair value and any transaction costs attributable to their acquisition are recognised as an expense in the consolidated statement of financial performance.
At each reporting date, the group assesses whether there is any indication that a financial asset may be impaired. If such indication exists, the financial asset is written down.
Trade receivables comprise current receivables arising from the provision of education services, research and development (R&D) services and other ordinary economic activities. Trade receivables are measured at their amortised cost (i.e. at their nominal value less any write-down for impairment). Receivables are measured on an individual basis: the collectibility of each invoice is assessed separately. The collectibility of a receivable is estimated by taking into account both information that is available at the reporting date and information that becomes available between the reporting date and the date on which the financial statements are authorised for issue and may affect the collectibility of the receivable. A receivable is written down if there is objective evidence that the receivable or part of it will not be settled in accordance with the originally agreed settlement terms.
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Cash and cash equivalents in the consolidated balance sheet and consolidated statement of cash flows comprise cash on hand, cash in current accounts and term deposits with the remaining maturity of up to one year that can be cancelled at short notice.
In the consolidated statement of cash flows, cash flows from operating activities are reported using the indirect method. Cash flows from investing and financing activities are reported using the direct method.
INVENTORIES
Inventories are assets, which are: held for sale in the ordinary course of economic activity; in the process of production for such sale; or in the form of materials or supplies to be consumed in the production process or the rendering of services. Inventories are initially measured at cost, which comprises all costs of purchase, costs of conversion and other costs incurred in bringing the inventories to their present location and condition. Borrowing costs are not included in the cost of inventories and, in accordance with the Public Sector Financial Accounting and Reporting Guidelines, non-recoverable levies and taxes paid on the acquisition of inventories are recognised as an expense. The cost of
goods is assigned using the FIFO formula. In the consolidated balance sheet, inventories are measured at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Net realisable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business less the estimated costs of completion and the estimated costs necessary to make the sale.
PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
Property, plant and equipment are assets which are used in the group’s own operating activities, have an estimated useful life exceeding one year, and cost at least 10,000 euros. Assets whose useful lives exceed a year but cost is less than 10,000 euros are recognised as an expense on implementation. Items of immaterial value that have been recognised as an expense are accounted for off the balance sheet.
As an exception, the following items may be recognised as items of property, plant and equipment regardless of cost:
• works of artistic value (works of art and antiques, museum objects, archive materials, rare books) whose value does not decrease over time;
• books in public libraries whose core activity is storage and lending of books.
An item of property, plant and equipment is initially recognised at cost, which comprises the purchase price and any costs directly attributable to bringing the item to the location and condition necessary. In accordance with the Public Sector Financial Accounting and Reporting Guidelines, non-recoverable levies and taxes are not capitalised as part of the cost of an item of property, plant and equipment. In the consolidated balance sheet, items of property, plant and equipment are carried at cost less any accumulated depreciation and any impairment losses.
Subsequent costs on an item of property, plant and equipment are capitalised and added to the carrying amount of the item if they meet the definition of property, plant and equipment and the recognition criteria. Other repair and maintenance costs are recognised as an expense as incurred.
Depreciation is charged using the straight-line method. Each item of property, plant and equipment is assigned a depreciation rate that corresponds to its useful life. In the case of assets with significant residual value only the depreciable amount (cost less residual value) is charged to expenses over the useful life of the asset.
Assets with an unlimited useful life (land, assets entered in the national registry of cultural property, assets belonging to museum collections and items belonging to library collections) are not depreciated.
Assets acquired for decor and design that do not have permanent value and assets transferred to auxiliary museum collections which are replaced after certain periods are depreciated over their estimated useful lives.
Asset classes are assigned the following annual depreciation rates:
Buildings, infrastructure assets and their structural components 2–10%
Plant and equipment 7–20%
Vehicles 10–20%
Other items of property, plant and equipment 10–20%
Land, books and works of artistic value are not depreciated.
Depreciation of an asset begins when it is available for use (i.e. in the location and condition necessary for it to be operating in the intended manner). Depreciation of an asset ceases when the asset’s residual value exceeds its carrying amount or the asset is permanently retired from use. Depreciation rates and methods and residual values are reviewed at each reporting date. When there is indication that the useful life or residual value of an asset has changed significantly, depreciation is changed prospectively.
LIBRARY COLLECTIONS
Section 41 subsection 2 clause 2 of the Public Sector Financial Accounting and Reporting Guidelines provides that public libraries whose core activity is storage and lending of library items may, by way of an exception, recognise library items as items of property, plant and equipment regardless of cost.
In accordance with the above recognition exception, the group’s balance sheet includes items acquired for the library collections of Tallinn University of Technology since 2004. Items acquired for library collections are recognised as items of property, plant and equipment in an aggregated set (total amount). Accounts in unit and title terms are kept in the library’s information system. In the consolidated balance sheet, library collections are measured at cost. Items belonging to library collections are not depreciated.
The following library collection items are not recognised in the consolidated balance sheet (are accounted for off the balance sheet):
• library items acquired before 2004;
• library items received through donations and legal deposit copies (until 2017).
The library of Tallinn University of Technology writes library collection items off based on the Procedure for Derecognising Library Items, which sets out the bases for writing off different classes of library collection items. Library collection items are written off at cost.
INTANGIBLE ASSETS
An intangible asset is an identifiable non-monetary asset without physical substance that is expected to be used for
more than a year and has a cost that exceeds the threshold for recognition as a non-current asset. An intangible asset (software, a right of use or another intangible asset) is recognised when the group controls the asset, it is probable that future economic benefits attributable to the asset will flow to the group, the cost of the asset can be measured reliably and the asset did not result from internal research and development expenditures. Research and development expenditures are recognised as an expense as incurred. An intangible asset is measured initially at cost, which comprises its purchase price and other directly attributable costs of acquisition. After initial recognition, an intangible asset is carried at cost less any accumulated amortisation and any impairment losses.
All of the group’s intangible assets are assumed to have finite useful lives. Intangible assets are amortised on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. Each intangible asset is assigned an amortisation rate that corresponds to its useful life. Amortisation rates and methods are reviewed at each reporting date. The classes of the group’s intangible assets are assigned amortisation rates that range from 10% to 33%.
IMPAIRMENT OF ASSETS
In accordance with section 42 subsection 9 of the Public Sector Financial Accounting and Reporting Guidelines, public sector entities do not conduct impairment tests or recognise impairment losses for non-current assets required for rendering public service unless the value of an asset has declined due to damage or the asset has been partly or fully retired from use due to some other reason. In the case of other assets, items of property, plant and equipment with unlimited useful lives (land, assets entered in the national registry of cultural property, assets belonging to museum collections and items belonging to library collections) and depreciable and amortisable assets are assessed at each reporting date to determine whether there is any indication of impairment. When there is indication of impairment, the group estimates the asset’s recoverable amount and compares it to the asset’s carrying amount.
An impairment loss is recognised in an amount by which an asset’s carrying amount exceeds its recoverable amount. The recoverable amount of an asset is the higher of its fair value less costs to sell and its value in use. Recoverable amount is determined for an individual asset or the smallest group of assets that generates largely independent cash flows. An impairment loss is recognised as an expense in the period in which it is incurred.
At the end of each reporting period, the group assesses whether there is any indication that the recoverable amount of an asset written down in an earlier period may have increased (except for goodwill whose impairment losses are not reversed). If an impairment test indicates that the recoverable amount of an asset or a group of assets (a cash-generating unit) has risen above its carrying amount,
the previously recognised impairment loss is reversed and the asset’s carrying amount is increased to an amount that would have been determined (net of amortisation or depreciation) had no impairment loss been recognised in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised in the consolidated statement of financial performance by reducing expenses from impairment of non-current assets.
FINANCE AND OPERATING LEASES
A finance lease is a lease that transfers all significant risks and rewards of ownership of an asset to the lessee. All other leases are classified as operating leases.
THE GROUP AS A LESSEE
Operating lease payments are recognised as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
THE GROUP AS A LESSOR
Assets leased out under operating leases are presented in the group’s balance sheet according to their nature, i.e. similarly to items of property, plant and equipment. Assets leased out under operating leases are depreciated using a depreciation policy consistent with the group’s normal depreciation policy for similar assets. Operating lease payments received are recognised as income on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
FINANCIAL LIABILITIES
Upon initial recognition all financial liabilities (trade payables, borrowings, accrued expenses, and other current and non-current payables) are measured at their cost which includes any directly attributable transaction costs. After initial recognition, financial liabilities are measured at their amortised cost.
The amortised cost of current financial liabilities is generally equal to their nominal value. Therefore, current financial liabilities are measured in the amount payable.
Non-current financial liabilities are recognised initially at the fair value of the consideration received (less any transaction costs). Thereafter, they are measured at their amortised cost using the effective interest method.
A financial liability is classified as current when it is due to be settled within 12 months after the reporting date or the group does not have an unconditional right to defer settlement for at least 12 months after the reporting date. A loan liability that is due to be settled within 12 months after the reporting date but which is refinanced into a non-current liability after the reporting date and before the financial statements are authorised for issue is classified as current. Liabilities which become payable on demand at the reporting date due to breach of the provisions of the loan contract are also classified as current.
PROVISIONS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
A provision is recognised for a probable present obligation of uncertain timing or amount that has arisen as a result of a past event. A provision is recognised in the consolidated balance sheet based on management’s estimates of the expenditure required to settle the obligation and the time the obligation should be settled. A provision is measured in an amount that is management’s best estimate of the expenditure required to settle the obligation at the reporting date or to transfer it to a third party at that time. When it is probable that a provision will be used within more than 12 months after the reporting date, it is measured at its discounted value unless the effect of discounting is immaterial. Other possible or present obligations whose realisation is less probable than their non-realisation or whose amount cannot be measured sufficiently reliably are disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements as contingent liabilities.
GRANTS
Grants comprise resources received (grants received) through non-exchange transactions, i.e. without directly giving goods or services in exchange, and resources transferred (grants provided and passed on, i.e. pass-through grants) through non-exchange transactions, i.e. without directly receiving goods or services in exchange. Grants are accounted for in accordance with the principles outlined in the Public Sector Financial Accounting and Reporting Guidelines.
Grants are classified into:
• government grants (hereafter ‘grants’) – grants received and provided on a project basis for particular purposes that have a specified goal along with milestones for monitoring the achievement of the goal, a timeframe, and a monetary budget and where the provider of the grant (the donor) requires from the recipient (the beneficiary) detailed reporting on the use of funds received and any surplus funds have to be returned to the provider of the grant;
• operational funding grants (hereafter ‘operational funding’) – funding received and provided based on the functions and tasks set out in the statutes and the goals set out in the development documents of the recipient.
Grants comprise:
• domestic grants;
• foreign grants.
Domestic grants comprise grants received from Estonian residents, including other public sector entities (excluding foreign grants passed on by them). Foreign grants comprise grants received from non-residents, including international organisations.
A grant is recognised in the consolidated balance sheet initially when cash has been transferred or received or at the date when the receivables, liabilities, revenue and expenses associated with the grant are recognised. A grant is recognised as revenue in the period in which the operating costs are incurred or the non-current asset is acquired unless the conditions of the grant involve the risk that the grant may be reclaimed or may not be received. Operational funding is recognised as revenue when the cash has been received. When a grant is provided using simplified reimbursement of expenditures (standardised unit costs) without the requirement to submit expense documents, grant revenue is recognised in the period in which the grant is provided.
When a grant has been received but significant conditions attaching to it have not been met, the grant is recognised as an advance received (deferred income). When expenditures have been incurred and the application for the disbursement of a grant has been accepted but the grant has not been received, the grant is recognised as revenue and a receivable.
Grants are also classified into grants related to income and grants related to assets.
GRANTS RELATED TO INCOME
Grants related to income (grants for covering operating expenses) are recognised using the principle of matching revenue with expenses. Grants related to income are recognised as revenue in proportion to related expenses. The group accounts for grants using the gross method, i.e. the grants received and the expenses for which they are intended to compensate are recognised separately in the consolidated statement of financial performance.
GRANTS RELATED TO ASSETS
The main condition for grants related to assets is that the group as the grant recipient has to purchase, build or otherwise acquire a certain non-current asset. In accordance with the Public Sector Financial Accounting and Reporting Guidelines, public sector entities whose main goal is not earning income for the owner recognise grants related to assets as revenue in the period in which the non-current asset is acquired.
For accounting purposes, the date of receipt of a grant is the date on which the asset is actually acquired (in the case work performed and capitalised, the end date of the work). The cost of an asset acquired with a grant is recognised as an item of property, plant and equipment or an intangible asset based on the nature of the asset.
On recognising grants in the consolidated statement of financial performance, the group differentiates between grants received and pass-through grants (grants for which the group acts as an intermediary). Pass-through grants
are grants received for passing on to another party, not for covering the group’s own operating expenses or acquiring assets. When the group acts as a grant intermediary, revenue from pass-through grants equals expenses from pass-through grants.
Non-monetary grants are classified into:
• grants received through three-party transactions where the grant provider or intermediary transfers cash directly to the supplier of goods or services from whom the group as the grant recipient receives the goods or services;
• grants received through transactions where the grant provider transfers goods or services to the group without a direct sale from the supplier of the goods or services.
When a non-monetary grant is provided through a transaction where the grant provider or intermediary transfers cash directly to the supplier, the grant is recognised based on a notice issued by the grant provider or intermediary in the same way as if the cash moved via the grant recipient to the supplier (except for movements in the bank account; instead, on the due date the grant recipient closes the payable to the supplier and the receivable or prepayment from the grant provider or intermediary).
Non-monetary grants are measured at the fair value of the goods and services received. Assets received from other public sector entities by way of non-monetary grants are measured at their fair value or, if this cannot be determined, at their carrying amount in the transferor’s financial statements.
When it appears that some conditions attaching to a grant have not been met and the group as the grant intermediary or recipient is liable to the grant provider for the recipient’s compliance with the conditions attaching to the grant and the use of the funds for their designated purpose, the group recognises a receivable from the grant recipient and/or a liability to the grant provider at the date the breach of contract is identified. In that case, the group also reduces revenue from grants received and/or expenses from grants provided.
REVENUE
Revenue from the sale of goods and rendering of services is measured at the fair value of consideration received or receivable, taking into account any discounts and rebates allowed. Revenue from the sale of goods is recognised when all significant risks of ownership of the goods have been transferred to the buyer, the amount of revenue and the costs incurred or to be incurred in respect of the transaction can be measured reliably and it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the group. Revenue from the rendering of services is recognised when the service has been rendered or, if the service is rendered over an extended period, using the stage of completion method.
Revenue from the rendering of education services
comprises tuition fees charged from students, participants in continuing education programmes, etc. Relevant revenue is recognised in the same period in which the service is rendered. When part of an education service is rendered in the next financial year, the relevant portion of tuition fees received is recognised in the consolidated balance sheet as advances received (deferred income). Out of tuition fees received for the autumn term of the academic year 2024/2025, 80% have been included in revenue for the reporting period. The remaining 20% have been recognised as advances received and will be taken to revenue in 2025. Interest income is recognised when it is probable that it will be received and its amount can be measured reliably. Interest income is recognised using the effective interest rate.
TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PARTIES
For the purposes of these consolidated financial statements, related parties include:
• associates of the group;
• foundations in which Tallinn University of Technology is a founding member;
• members of the executive and higher management of Tallinn University of Technology (members of the University Board, the Rector, Vice-Rectors, Director of Administration) and foundations, non-profit associations and companies under their control or significant influence;
• close family members of the members of the executive and higher management of Tallinn University of Technology, including spouses, domestic partners and children, and foundations, non-profit associations and companies under their control or significant influence.
The remuneration and significant benefits provided to members of the executive and higher management are disclosed in the consolidated financial statements. In accordance with the Public Sector Financial Accounting and Reporting Guidelines, information on other related party transactions is disclosed only when the transactions do not meet legal requirements or the group’s internal rules or have not been conducted on market terms.
EVENTS AFTER THE REPORTING PERIOD
The consolidated financial statements reflect all significant events affecting the valuation of assets and liabilities that occurred between the reporting date and the date on which the financial statements were authorised for issue but are related to the reporting or prior periods.
Recognition of events that occur between the end of the reporting period and the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue depends on whether the event is adjusting or non-adjusting. An adjusting event is an event that provides evidence of conditions that existed at the reporting date. The effects of an adjusting event are recognised in the consolidated balance sheet and the consolidated statement of financial performance as at and for the reporting period. A non-adjusting event is an event that is indicative of conditions that arose after the reporting period. The consolidated balance sheet and the consolidated statement of financial performance as at and for the reporting period are not adjusted to reflect a non-adjusting event after the reporting period. If the effect of a non-adjusting event is material, it is disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
NOTE 2. CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS (in euros)
As at 31 December 2024 2023
Vaata Note 21.
NOTE 3. RECEIVABLES AND PREPAYMENTS (in euros
NOTE 4. PREPAID GRANTS (in euros)
See also note 3.
NOTE 5. GRANTS RECEIVABLE (in euros)
See also note 3.
Fund measure SF Education, labour market and society 2021–2027
Life Programme 2021–2027
SF Thematic R&D programmes in focus areas of TAIE (Estonian Research and Development, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Strategy)
2020 – EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for the period 2014–2020
NOTE 6. TAXES (in euros)
NOTE 7. INVESTMENTS IN ASSOCIATES (in
TFTAK AS E-Kyla Arendus OÜ
TFTAK AS ended 2024 with an adjusted profit of 92,035 euros, which increased the value of the group’s investment in the entity by 18,407 euros (2023: an adjusted profit of 202,863 euros, the value of the investment increased by 40,573 euros).
E-Kyla Arendus OÜ ended 2024 with a loss of 211 euros, which reduced the value of the group’s investment by 70 euros (2023: a profit of 1,365 euros, the value of the investment increased by 455 euros).
Both associates operate in Estonia.
In December 2024, the shareholders of E-Kyla Arendus OÜ decided to liquidate the company in 2025.
NOTE 8. SUBSIDIARIES
NOTE 9. PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT (in euros)
at 31 December 2023
at 31 December 2024
The largest item in assets under construction at 31 December 2024 was the construction of self-driving vehicle IseAuto 2.0 of 113,399 euros.
The largest construction projects completed during the reporting period were:
• renovation of the building of the Estonian Maritime Academy of 344,050 euros;
• renovation of the lighting and security systems of the sports building of 277,922 euros;
• construction of a modular building for Kuressaare College of 212,028 euros;
• reconstruction of auditorium SOC-209 of 176,575 euros;
• renovation of and new equipment for multipurpose research vessel SALME of 173,428 euros.
The largest purchases recognised in plant and equipment during the reporting period were:
• ultra-high performance liquid chromatograph with fluorescence and photodiode array detectors of 245,500 euros;
• EnzyScreen Growth Profiler 960 of 101,164 euros;
• semiconductor parameter analyser of 100,000 euros.
To simplify accounting and reduce the administrative burden of reviewing assets, items of property, plant and equipment that had been recognised in aggregated groups, did not form clear sets, and had an individual value of less than 10,000 euros were written off the balance sheet as of 31 December 2024. The total carrying amount of such assets of 899,746 euros was recognised in depreciation expenses for the reporting period. Of these assets, items totalling 189,006 euros are accounted for off the balance sheet.
NOTE 10. INTANGIBLE ASSETS (in euros)
at 31 December 2022
in 2023
at 31 December 2023
in 2024
at 31 December 2024
The largest investments during the reporting period were:
• developments of the Study Information System ÕIS2 of 511,515 euros;
• development of the TalTech internal portal of 200,888 euros.
NOTE 11. PAYABLES AND ADVANCES RECEIVED (in euros)
As at 31 December 2024 2023
(note 12)
NOTE 12. ADVANCES RECEIVED (in euros)
NOTE 13. PROVISIONS (in euros)
The provision for benefits payable on the expiry of the employment relationship has been recognised to cover the expenses on benefits payable to the Rector, the Vice-Rectors and the members of the management board of MTÜ TTÜ Üliõpilasküla on the expiry of the contracts signed with them.
NOTE 14. REVENUE FROM ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES (in
NOTE 15. OPERATIONAL FUNDING RECEIVED (in euros)
NOTE 16. GRANTS RECEIVED (in euros)
In 2024, the Tallinn University of Technology group, as a recipient and intermediary of grants, reduced revenue from grants related to income by 16 euros due to a voluntary repayment. The amount was recognised in revenue from grants related to income.
In 2023, the group reduced grant revenue by 642,696 euros due to the potentially repayable VAT of the Smart City Centre of Excellence project 2014–2020.4.01.20–0289. During the reporting period, it was determined that the amount actually repayable was 109,582 euros. The remaining 533,114 euros, which did not have to be repaid, was recognised in revenue from grants related to income.
NOTE 17. PASS-THROUGH GRANTS AND MEMBERSHIP FEES (in euros)
of
NOTE 18. STAFF COSTS (in euros)
NOTE 19. OTHER OPERATING EXPENSES (in euros)
NOTE 20. OTHER EXPENSES (in euros)
NOTE 21. FINANCE INCOME AND COSTS (in euros)
7)
At 31 December 2024, interest income accrued on current accounts and short-term term deposits amounted to 185,198 euros (31 December 2023: 182,520 euros).
In 2024, interest rates for current accounts and short-term term deposits ranged from 0.01% to 4.85% per year (2023: from 0.01% to 4.85% per year).
NOTE 22. OFF-BALANCE SHEET ASSETS
Assets with a cost of 2,000 to 9,999.99 euros are accounted for off the balance sheet. At 31 December 2024, the total cost of off-balance sheet assets was 16,992,283 euros (31 December 2023: 16,184,476 euros).
NOTE 23. TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PARTIES
The remuneration of the executive and higher management amounted to 717,736 euros in 2024, including bonuses and additional remuneration of 33,260 euros and benefits of 15,400 euros (2023: 697,975 euros, including bonuses and additional remuneration of 14,990 euros and benefits of 18,668 euros). In 2024 and 2023, there were no transactions that did not comply with legal requirements or the group’s internal rules or that were not conducted on market terms.
NOTE 24. CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
The tax authorities may audit the group’s tax accounting within five years after the deadline for the submission of a tax return. If misstatements are found, the tax authorities may assess additional tax, late payment interest and penalties. Management is not aware of any circumstances that would cause the tax authorities to assess a significant amount of additional tax to be paid by the group.
NOTE 25. FINANCIAL INFORMATION ON THE GROUP’S PARENT
In accordance with the Estonian Accounting Act, the notes to the consolidated financial statements include the separate primary financial statements of the consolidating entity (the parent’s balance sheet, statement of financial performance, statement of cash flows and statement of changes in net assets). The parent’s primary financial statements are prepared using the same accounting policies and measurement bases as those applied in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements. As an exception, investments in subsidiaries and associates in the parent’s financial statements are measured at cost less any impairment losses.
BALANCE SHEET (in euros)
31 December 2024 2023
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS (in euros)
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS (in euros)
KPMG Baltics OÜ
Ahtri 4
Tallinn 10151
Estonia
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT
(Translation of the Estonian original)
To the Board of Tallinn University of Technology
Opinion
Telephone +372 6 268 700
Internet www.kpmg.ee
We have audited the consolidated financial statements of Tallinn University of Technology and its subsidiaries (the group), which comprise the consolidated balance sheet as at 31 December 2024, the consolidated statements of financial performance, cash flows and changes in net assets for the year then ended, and notes, comprising significant accounting policies and other explanatory information
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements presented on pages 65 to 89, present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the group as at 31 December 2024, and its consolidated financial performance and its consolidated cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with the Estonian Financial Reporting Standard. Basis for Opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (Estonia). Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors’ Responsibilities for the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements section of our report. We are independent of the group in accordance with the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (Estonia) (including International Independence Standards) and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion
Other Information
Management is responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the management report, but does not include the consolidated financial statements and our auditors’ report thereon.
Our opinion on the consolidated financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the consolidated financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the consolidated financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated.
If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard
Responsibilities of Management and Those Charged with Governance for the Consolidated Financial Statements
Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with the Estonian Financial Reporting Standard, and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the consolidated financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the group’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless management either intends to liquidate the group or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.
Those charged with governance are responsible for overseeing the group’s consolidated financial reporting process
Auditors’ Responsibilities for the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (Estonia) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these consolidated financial statements
As part of an audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (Estonia), we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:
• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the group’s internal control.
• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management.
• Conclude on the appropriateness of management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the group’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditors’ report to the related disclosures in the consolidated financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditors’ report. However, future events or conditions may cause the group to cease to continue as a going concern.
• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the consolidated financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the consolidated financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
• Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the financial information of the entities or business activities within the group to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. We are responsible for the direction, supervision and performance of the group audit. We remain solely responsible for our audit opinion
We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit
KPMG Baltics OÜ Audit Firm Licence No. 17
/signed digitally/ Andris Jegers
Certified Public Accountant, Licence No. 171
Tallinn, 10 April 2025
SIGNATURES TO ANNUAL REPORT 2024
The management of Tallinn University of Technology has prepared the annual report of the Tallinn University of Technology group for the year ended 31 December 2024, which comprises the management report, the consolidated financial statements and the independent auditors’ report.
The Rector of Tallinn University of Technology has reviewed the annual report of Tallinn University of Technology and approved its presentation to the University Board on 10 April 2025.
