Driving SME growth and smarter business landscape with cross-border collaboration

The power of sustainable growth and strenghtening competitiveness among SMEs

Within the 2021-2027 funding period, the Interreg VI-A Estonia-Latvia Programme supports projects which focus on stimulating the growth and innovation of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) through smart and green transformations. We encourage businesses to embrace innovation by leveraging cross-border networks and partnerships. We support activities that lead to sustainable growth, competitive advantages, and job creation within SMEs, including productive investments. Under Priority 2: Jointly and smartly growing businesses we promote cross-border knowledge transfer, digitalization, automation, and cross-sector cooperation.

The First Call for project proposals within the Estonia-Latvia programme was open from 7 November 2022 to 15 February 2023. In total 26 projects were approved and below are short summaries of six projects which were co-financed under priority 2.

Projects addressing cross-border SME cooperation:

Digital Greenhouse	The Digital Greenhouse project aims to digitize Weiss Aiand's irrigation processes using artificial intelligence to minimize resource use. This project seeks to develop a digital solution that provides detailed irrigation recommendations based on real-time data and AI, leading to more efficient and environmentally friendly vegetable growing. Weiss Aiand will gain an innovative process with machine learning-based software for irrigation and data analysis, a data-gathering server, and a web application for data visualization and analysis.
ENTER	The ENTER project is a collaboration between Estonia and Latvia to improve prenatal screening services in smaller private clinics outside capital cities. It leverages modern genetic and digital technologies to enhance personalized medicine. The project involves four innovative SMEs from both countries, aiming to expand access and quality of prenatal screening through a clinical study, a digital ordering and counseling system, and clinician training. This unique initiative allows SMEs to manage the entire service provision in-house and offer new counseling services.
FireStop	The FireStop project aims to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly fire retardants for wood, enhancing the safety of wooden buildings and timber. It involves collaboration between two SMEs and three universities from Estonia and Latvia, focusing on creating effective, durable, low-toxicity, and affordably priced fire retardants through cross-border knowledge transfer. Activities include developing fire-retardant formulas, testing wood products, assessing sustainability and ecotoxicity, and piloting in industrial settings.
Health4Cardio	The Health4Cardio project is a collaboration project aiming to prototype an innovative dietary supplement. Leveraging their expertise, the project focuses on combining a probiotic strain with sea-buckthorn seed oil to benefit cardiovascular and gut health. It includes developing a new technology for this combination and conducting a preliminary clinical trial to understand its effects and bioavailability.
PharmaBoost	The PharmaBoost project aims to develop a new sustainable production technology for Varenicline Tartrate, a drug to help people stop smoking. This collaborative effort between TBD Pharmatech Ltd. and the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis serves as a model for future cooperation in drug development. By combining resources, the project seeks to enhance competitiveness and visibility in the pharmaceutical sector for Estonia and Latvia.
TWINNOWATION	The Twinnovation project is designed to assist SMEs in Estonia and Latvia by providing them with practical tools for embracing innovation and implementing the Twin Transition in their processes, products, or services. It focuses on cross-border collaboration, offering experience exchange, training, study visits, peer learning, and the joint development of innovative solutions. By the project's end, 10 partnering SMEs are expected to have adopted a jointly developed innovation solution, boosting their growth and competitiveness.