Day 1: Information, Communication & Technology
Advantages:
- 3,300+ digital services available to citizens, business and foreigners
- World leader in ICT based on its track record of investments, innovations and rankings
- 1st Globally in the area of entrepreneurial activity
- 1st in Europe in the Global Cybersecurity Index
- First ever state to use blockchain from 2008
Estonia’s journey to becoming the world’s most digitally enabled nation began 25yrs ago when visionaries both from private and public sector committed to IT as a country strategy. Today, Estonia is a recognised leader in digital identity, cyber security and Blockchain and has produced numerous innovations in consumer, enterprise and government sectors. This progress stands on three important pillars – building a smart state with a smart economy by smart people.
IT is taught from primary school onwards, resulting Estonia to be among the best educated countries in math, science, ICT. The Estonian IT sector and ambitious startup community (known affectionately as the Estonian Mafia) dare to create innovative e-services that change the world – from Skype to e-Residency. In fact, Estonia is also a hotbed for startups, already claiming four unicorns and producing more startups per capita than any other country in Europe.
ITC contributes more than 7% of Estonian GDP, with products and services being exported to more than 120 countries worldwide. The main export markets for B2B (business-to-business) services and products are in Europe and the US, while B2G (business-to-government) keeps opening up doorways in Africa and the Middle East, where many countries are going through economic transitions similar to those that Estonia had to face in the 1990s. Estonians stand out in the global marketplace for their flexibility and tailor-made solutions and the ability to join forces in partnership for delivering the optimal result.
Our IT R&D ecosystem enjoys global proof of concept, being trusted by global organisations such as Kuehne+Nagel, NATO with cutting-edge cyber security R&D here, or NASDAQ conducting successful Blockchain trials. Estonia’s IT R&D ecosystem is enabled by modern digital infrastructure and a pro-business environment which is free of red tape, promoting accelerated innovation and launches.
With 99% state services accessible online and 99.8% of all banking transactions made, running an IT company in Estonia is easy. As digitalisation transforms life, business and government, Estonia’s combination of skills, experience and environment make it the ideal location for globally scalable IT R&D.