How to turn the sea into an innovation lab? The MarTe vision seminar sought the answers

The MarTe vision veminar in Pärnu highlighted the opportunities of the blue economy and the need to establish marine test beds. The two-day event explored how to better connect science, industry, communities, and public authorities to foster smart and sustainable marine solutions – from aquaculture and robotics to maritime transport and renewable energy.

In the panel discussion “How I Once Tried to Test Something at Sea,” entrepreneurs and researchers shared their real-world experiences of developing and testing marine innovations in Estonia. The panel featured Professor Jonne Kotta (University of Tartu), Andro Ots (Ösel Aquafarms), Timmu Tollimägi (Vete Engineering) and Ülo Eero (Marine Claims Adjusters Ltd), and was moderated by Tiina-Maria Araja, Blue Economy Expert at the Environmental Investment Centre.

The discussion sent a clear message: Estonia has strong foundations for blue economy growth, but real progress requires better coordination, greater awareness of marine opportunities and regulations, and a shared national direction. Estonia’s vast marine area remains largely untapped — offering immense potential for offshore wind energy, aquaculture, marine robotics, and maritime innovation testing. Realising this potential calls for close collaboration between research, business, and government.

Panelists agreed that cooperation between public authorities and entrepreneurs has improved in recent years but still needs continuous support. They highlighted the importance of raising public sector awareness about the specific characteristics of the blue economy and marine industries, enabling officials to assess projects more effectively and holistically. For businesses, the focus was on strengthening financial literacy and investment readiness, particularly the ability to attract international partners and funding.

Two practical measures were proposed to make marine testing more accessible:

• A public database providing information on ports and coastal areas open to testing or cooperation;
• A guideline document outlining the steps required to obtain permits or formal agreements for testing at sea.

So far, a “test bed” in Estonia has often meant an informal agreement with a local port authority — no official or nationally coordinated test zones currently exist. In the long run, Estonia needs a clearer framework and governance model that unites research, business, and the public sector into a coherent marine innovation ecosystem.

As Mihkel Kõrgesaar from Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) put it: “The blue economy becomes truly viable only when industry, academia and communities pursue the same goals. If one link is missing, it remains just a buzzword — not genuine progress.”

Smart testing, not pouring concrete

“Innovation doesn’t happen in saturated markets – real progress takes place where there’s still room and need,” said Professor Kristjan Tabri (TalTech), encouraging Estonia to focus its efforts on emerging and underexplored fields. Riina Otsason, representative of the Association of Estonian Marine Industries, added that developing marine test beds doesn’t mean building physical infrastructure at sea. “What matters is the framework – cooperation and intent, not concrete,” she emphasized.

Vast sea area – Estonia’s opportunity

The seminar’s working groups focused on maritime transport, renewable energy, fisheries, and aquaculture. Across all discussions, participants underlined Estonia’s unique advantage – its vast marine area and an established maritime spatial plan, which together form a strong basis for long-term blue economy development. They also called for clearer policies, funding mechanisms, and cooperation agreements to allocate resources more effectively and collaboratively.

On the second day, participants took part in a solution-oriented workshop, developing proposals in four key areas: capitalisation, cooperation, research, and policy development. The discussions were refreshingly honest – reflecting on what has worked well and what hasn’t – and included examples of best practices from neighbouring countries that Estonia could learn from. Five Principles for the Future of Estonia’s Blue Economy

1. Collaboration and multi-use – enabling sectors to share infrastructure and data at sea.
2. Data-driven decision-making – basing policies and actions on evidence, not assumptions.
3. Speed and flexibility – ensuring agile procedures that allow innovation to scale quickly.
4. Courage to experiment – supporting pilot projects and test beds to validate new ideas.
5. Technology integration – leveraging digitalisation and autonomous systems for greater efficiency and safety.

Together, these principles provide a roadmap for a more integrated and knowledge-driven development of Estonia’s marine sector.

Looking Beyond the Horizon

The MarTe vision seminar took place on 30–31 October 2025 at Hestia Hotel Strand, Pärnu, bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, policy-makers and community representatives. The MarTe project applies the Communities of Practice (CoP) approach – a collaboration model that brings together diverse stakeholders (scientists, entrepreneurs, public officials and communities) to share knowledge and co-create solutions. A Community of Practice connects people united by a shared goal or challenge, fostering mutual learning and joint innovation.

Within MarTe, two such communities are being established – one in Estonia and another in Latvia – to jointly design a Blue Economy research and innovation strategy rooted in real-world needs and experience. The Latvian CoP was launched earlier in October 2025 in Liepāja, during the seminar “Latvia–Estonia: Marine Technology Excellence Platform for a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Baltic Sea”, which gathered over 50 experts from 35 organisations. That event laid the foundation for Latvia’s cooperation network – and a similar process is now underway in Estonia.

MarTe (Marine Technology Excellence Centre) runs from 2025 to 2028, focusing on building a sustainable blue economy ecosystem that links research, industry, and policy in the Baltic Sea region. The project is part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme and aims to advance marine technology development and testing across the Baltics. It is coordinated by the Estonian Environmental Investment Centre and involves 13 partner organisations from Estonia and Latvia, including:

• Research institutions: Tallinn University of Technology, University of Tartu, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology
• Public sector organisations: Kurzeme Planning Region, Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), Saare Development Centre, Environmental Investment Centre
• Industry representatives: Association of Estonian Marine Industries, Freeport of Ventspils Authority
• Coastal community and environmental organisations: World Wide Fund for Nature – Latvia, Baltic Coasts Association, and West Estonian Islands Partnership.

You can download the seminar presentations below: