University of Tartu participates in creating the European innovation community for water, marine and maritime sectors

On 11 November, the European Institute of Technology and Innovation (EIT) selected the consortium to lead a new Knowledge and Innovation Community in the field of water, marine and maritime sectors and ecosystems (EIT Water). Among the founding partners is the Estonian Marine Institute of the University of Tartu.

The mission of the EIT Water partnership is to address challenges related to Europe’s water environment – from the quality and availability of drinking water, flooding and erosion, to promoting sustainable aquatic ecosystems and a circular blue economy. For this purpose, a Europe-wide network of innovators is established, which will co-finance the launch of innovative products and services, invest in startups and scaleups, and support the development of international degree curricula and continuing education programmes.

The founding members of the partnership are 50 organisations that applied as part of the AllWaters consortium, including companies, professional networks, and universities across Europe, the University of Tartu Estonian Marine Institute among them. The headquarters will be located at Aarhus University in Denmark.

According to Jonne Kotta, Professor in Marine Ecology at the University of Tartu, the main goals of the Estonian Marine Institute within the partnership are to develop and implement knowledge-based and data-driven solutions that create circular value chains supporting the achievement of a clean aquatic environment. “Participation in the network provides the university with a collaborative platform with businesses and the public sector to accelerate the testing of solutions and their launch to the market and offer entrepreneurial education that, in turn, will enhance the sustainability of the maritime sector in Europe. The University of Tartu Estonian Marine Institute contributes with remote sensing, spatial data and ecosystem models, and uses the AllWaters working groups to translate knowledge into practice and decisions,” Kotta explained.

The European Commission will support EIT Water with a startup grant of up to €5 million in its initial phase in 2026. The first calls for proposals and programmes are expected to begin in the first half of 2027. EIT Water is an open partnership allowing all stakeholders in the water sector to participate, and it seeks to attract additional public and private investment.