Research infrastructure
Cutting-edge research requires a high-quality infrastructure for conducting experiments and for collecting, managing, storing and analysing data. Research infrastructures also include know-how, methods, materials, activities and services that support the creation of new knowledge in research. The Estonian Research Infrastructure Roadmap provides an overview of the research infrastructure objects used by Estonian research institutions.
The University of Tartu is involved in 17 infrastructure objects.
Coordinator: University of Tartu
Partners: Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University, Tartu Observatory, Estonian Environment Agency
Cintact: Maarja Öpik, [email protected]
The Estonian Environmental Observatory is an integrated network of experimental environment stations developed jointly by Estonian research institutions, covering atmosphere and climate studies, biodiversity studies and marine environment studies.
The network of experimental stations monitors and engages in the experimental analysis of wildlife and the state of their living environment. The key tasks of the environmental observatory are to analyse the exchange of energy and matter between atmosphere and biosphere, including marine ecosystems, questions related to the adaptation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to global changes, above all changes in biodiversity and bioproductivity.
Coordinator: University of Tartu
Partners: Tallinn University of Technology, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University, Estonian Museum of Natural History, The Environmental Board
Contact: Urmas Kõljalg, [email protected]
Natural History Archives and Information Network is an integrated infrastructure based on natural science collections and open data. The open data information system developed by NATARC covers all data types related to Estonian natural science collections. NATARC collections and information system can serve as a basis for interdisciplinary research, nature education applications and the assessment of the state of endangered species and ecosystems.
Coordinator: University of Tartu
Partners: Tallinn University of Technology, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University, National Institute of Chemics and Physics
Contact: Angela Ivask, [email protected]
The research infrastructure on experimental studies and applications of cellular processes, RAKERA, consolidates Estonian expertise in the field of cell and molecular biology and develops a shared instrumental complex. The goal of this infrastructure is to advance scientific competence and services in the field of applied microbial processes as well as in biomedicine-related processes in mammalian cells. The infrastructure will establish a central hub focusing on expertise and services on fundamental research and applications of cellular processes.
Coordinator: University of Tartu
Partners: Tallinn University of Technology, Estonian Environmental Research Centre
Contact: Ivo Leito, [email protected]
ECAC has a wide range of potential beneficiaries. These include all fields of natural science and technology from basic and applied research to monitoring the quality of the output of industrial processes, but also studies of industrial production and different types of materials, which call for methods of analytical chemistry. The organisation includes three distributed core laboratories that bring together the equipment and know-how of ECAC partners. The core laboratories develop analytical methods, analyse samples and organise professional training
Core laboratories:
- bio-medicinal, food and environment core laboratory
- materials, structure and microanalysis core laboratory
- industrial, legal and applied core laboratory
Coordinator: University of Tartu
Partners: Tallinn University of Technology, The National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics
Contact: Vambola Kisand, [email protected]
The Center of Nanomaterials Technologies and Research aims to develop a cutting-edge infrastructure for manufacturing, studying and implementing nanomaterials and developing it into an attractive multifunctional centre providing R&D services in nanotechnology and nano-safety using the high-level research capability of its partners. More than 20 institutions use NAMUR+.
Coordinator: University of Tartu
Contact: Marco Kirm, [email protected]
The Estonian-Finnish beamline FinEstBeAMS is located at the MAX-IV laboratory’s 1.5 GeV synchrotron in Lund, Sweden and is designed for materials and atmospheric physics studies. FinEstBeAMS allows a large number of researchers and companies to conduct studies on the electronic structure and energy relaxation process of free molecules, atmospheric and nanoparticles, clusters, liquids, solids and their surfaces for obtaining basic knowledge and applied purposes.
Contact: Antti Tamm, [email protected]
Memebership status: full member since 2015
Webpage: www.esa.int/ESA
Estonian coordinator: Piret Pikma, [email protected]
Estonia’s membership status: founding member (2015)
The European Spallation Source is an international cooperation project between 17 European countries, the aim of which is to build and maintain a research infrastructure object of the next generation, which is mainly designed for medical, biochemistry and materials studies with the use of neutrons. ESS is to be built in Lund, Sweden, and its computing centre will operate in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Thanks to ESS, Estonian researchers and engineers can access a unique research infrastructure that can be used to perform innovative, high-impact work in different fields of research.
Health and food science
Lead institution: University of Tartu
Contact: Lili Milani, [email protected]
The objective of the Estonian Center for Genomics is to meet the needs of Estonian R&D in terms of genome analysis, including competitive participation in international collaborations and applications in healthcare and entrepreneurship. The temporal reference database for genomic data that is being established within the scope of the infrastructure is open to the whole global scientific community for population genetics research. It will provide substantial output for identifying hidden genealogical information, making it possible to increase the statistical power of genetic association studies. With the completion of a special laboratory for old DNA, it is now possible to isolate and purify DNA from archaeological material on site.
Lead institution: University of Tartu
Partner institutions: Tallinn University of Technology, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, National Institute for Health Development
Contact: Hedi Peterson, [email protected]
ELIXIR is the European Life-sciences infrastructure for Biological Information that unites 23 countries and is used by hundreds of thousands of researchers in molecular biology, environmental sciences, agriculture and medicine. These researchers create very different data, which need to be analysed with world-class software services and managed by sustainable databases. ELIXIR combines member states' services, tools, training opportunities and databases into a large unified research infrastructure for bioinformatics. Such a unified global research infrastructure helps researchers perform data analysis and interpret the results.
Lead institution: University of Tartu
Partner institutions: Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu University Hospital
Contact person: Katrin Kaarna, [email protected]
The National Centre for Translational and Clinical Research ensures the availability of technology required for preclinical and clinical research and user support for doctors, researchers, doctoral students, resident doctors and other research team members. The Translational Medicine Centre in Tartu is one of the most cutting-edge centres in central and eastern Europe and deals with the development of different animal models, mainly focussing on studying psychiatric, neurodegenerative and immunoinflammatory diseases and tumours.
Lead institution: University of Tartu
Partner institutions: Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonian Crop Research Institute
Contact person: Hanna Hõrak, [email protected]
The Plant Biology Infrastructure is a developing infrastructure that facilitates the implementation of research-based smart practices for the efficient use of plants, expanding the application fields of plants and developing precise agriculture solutions in Estonia. The research infrastructure includes energy-efficient plant growth facilities, test fields, related equipment and sensor systems for monitoring plants in their growing environment.
Estonian coordinator: Ants Kurg, [email protected]
Estonia's membership status: prospect member since 2019
Full membership of EMBL allows Estonia to benefit from the European Research Area to a greater degree and access services that it currently lacks or that require improvement, for example, structural biology and accelerator channels, translational medicine and genomics services, bioinformatics and IT services designed for researchers. One important aspect is the member states' better access to the EMBL doctoral and postdoc programmes. Estonia would also benefit from improved access to research equipment, knowledge and training.
Lead institution: University of Tartu
Partner institutions: TalTech
Contact person: Allen Kaasik, [email protected]
Estonian BioImaging is a state-of-the-art imaging research infrastructure in the fields of biology, biomedicine, and drug development. The aim of BioImaging infrastructure is to provide all Estonian researchers access to cutting-edge microscopes, imaging expertise, training, and analysis capabilities that their home institutions cannot offer independently.
Lead institution: University of Tartu
Partner institutions: Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University, Statistics Estonia
Contact person: Tiit Tammaru, [email protected]
The IMO creates a comprehensive research data infrastructure for conducting studies of the spatial mobility of the population, using both traditional statistics databases and contemporary infotechnological data sources. The unified data infrastructure combines databases that can be used to analyse people's everyday movement, the relationship between spatial mobility and labour market changes and the use of transport, but also long-term changes in the spatial mobility of the population and factors that influence it. Methodological harmonisation, the establishment of data laboratories in partner universities and the creation of a user-friendly remote working environment, which makes the research infrastructure available to a wider audience, play a significant part in establishing the data infrastructure.
Lead institution: University of Tartu
Contact person: Mare Ainsaar, [email protected]
ESSlongWell is an Estonian research infrastructure that, like the world’s leading long-term infrastructures, provides researchers and society with essential high-quality data. As a member of the Estonian Research Infrastructures Roadmap, it serves researchers, students, and the broader public.
ESSlongWell infrastructure entails two large research databases on well-being and human behaviour: the European Social Survey (ESS) and the nationally representative longitudinal study LongEstWell in Estonia.
E- infrastructures
Lead institution: University of Tartu
Partner institutions: Tallinn University of Technology, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Information Technology Foundation for Education
Contact person: Ivar Koppel, [email protected]
The Estonian Scientific Computing Infrastructure is a nationwide unified infrastructure consisting of scientific computation centres, the computation clusters therein, supercomputers and data repositories, central services connecting the centres and resources, people specialised in programming, and training of end-users. The services are freely available to all R&D institutions and research-based enterprises.
University of Tartu as a partner in other research infrastructures
Leading institution: Institute of the Estonian Language
Participating institutions: University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonian Literary Museum
Leader: Martin Eessalu, [email protected] (acting head of the infrastructure)
UT contact person: Mark Fišel, [email protected]
The Language Data Research Infrastructure (KeTa) supports research and development activities where language data is both the object of study and the tool. KeTa focuses on the collection, preservation, accessibility, and reuse of Estonian language data, both as datasets and through various digital tools. The mission is to provide comprehensive infrastructure and Services that meet the demands and challenges of the fields of linguistics, informatics, and language technology.
Leading institution: National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics
Participating institutions: University of Tartu, Tallinn Technical University
Leader: Martti Raidal, [email protected]
UT contact person: Veronika Zadin, [email protected]
European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) is an international research organization whose main field of activity is high-energy physics research and the development of the necessary technology, including information technology and materials. In addition to developing research and IT equipment and conducting experiments, CERN trains new generation of scientists and engineers, as well as physics teachers for schools.
Leading institution: Estonian University of Life Sciences
Participating institutions: The University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University, TFTAK AS, BioCC OÜ, Metrosert AS, Tallinn Centre of Estonian Rural Research and
Knowledge Leader: Toonika Rinken, [email protected]
UT contact person: Reet Mändar, [email protected]
Infrastructure of Food Innovation Technologies (TOIT) brings together Estonian food Science and technology competence by involving research groups from eight research and development institutions. The goal of TOIT is to combine research competence and infrastructure related to the field into single research infrastructure, the comprehensive and coordinated development of which supports the fulfillment of the strategic goals of both Estonia and the European Union.
Leading institution: Tallinn University
Participating institutions: University of Tartu, Ministry of Social Affairs
Leader: Allan Puur, [email protected]
UT contact person: Kairi Kasearu, [email protected]
Estonian Generations and Gender Survey 2020 is an academically-driven social Science infrastructure that provides new internationally comparable data for the analysis of contemporary demographic and social developments in Estonia. Given the issues arising from large-scale immigration, fertility and family dynamics deserve close attention in the search for more sustainable society.
Leading institution: Tallinn University of Technology
Participating institutions: University of Tartu, Estonian University of Life Sciences
Leader: Andres Krumme, [email protected]
UT person contact: Ivari Kaljurand, [email protected]
PUUTAR’s vision is to be consortium consolidating expertise and infrastructure in the field of mechanical, Chemical, biochemical, and thermochemical wood treatment in Estonia, which conducts high-level interdisciplinary research throughout the wood value chain and offers partners and companies comprehensive research and development Service.
Leading institution: Estonian Literary Museum
Participating institutions: Tallinn University, University of Tartu, Estonian National Museum, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, ELNET, Cybernetica AS, E-riigi Akadeemia Sihtasutus, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonian University of Life Sciences
Leader: Mari Väina, [email protected]
UT contact person: Liisi Lembinen, [email protected]
The Estonian Cultural and Scientific Data Infrastructure (ETKAD) consolidates and manages scientific and cultural data created in Estonia, making it accessible to researchers and the general public both domestically and internationally, and offers modern Solutions for the convenient use of created datasets. As modules of the infrastructure, e-Varamu and DataCite Estonia continue to provide nationally important Services. The portal, together with developing query and usage options, allows researchers and wider circle of interested parties to rely on quality information when searching for answers to questions.
Leading institution: National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics (NICPB/KBFI)
Participating institutions: University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, National Institute of Chemical and Biological Physics and Metrosert
Leader: Raivo Stern, [email protected]
UT contact person: Taivo Jõgiaas, [email protected]
EstMagLab includes three core laboratories the core laboratory of magnets and magnetic materials, the core laboratory of rare element recycling and the core laboratory of electro-magnetism applications which bring together diverse know-how. The core laboratories deal with top-level electromagnetic expertise, development of analysis methodologies, offering magnetic analyses in scientific and industrial laboratories, and professional training.
Leading institution: Tallinn University of Technology
Participating institutions: University of Tartu, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics
Leader: Tõnis Kanger, [email protected]
UT contact person: Lauri Vares, [email protected]
Scientific infrastructure of Chemical synthesis and technology (SynTech) brings together Chemical synthesis and Chemical and biotechnology capabilities in Estonia. The aim of the research infrastructure is to develop and technologize new sustainable and environmentally friendly synthesis methods, such as mechanosynthesis, flow chemistry, electrochemistry, photochemistry, organocatalysis.
