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Innovation for place-based transformations
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REGDUALOSA Regional case study in Estonia

On 28 January , the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs of Estonia will host an  event in Tallinn aiming to explore the role of cyber defence in fostering industrial development and European strategic autonomy. This initiative is part of the REGDUALOSA (Reg-ions, Dual Use, and Open Strategic Autonomy), an exploratory research activity of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in collaboration with the Andalusia Regional Governement.

Why a case study in Estonia?

Estonia, a small but innovative Northern European nation  bordered by the Baltic Sea, Latvia, and Russia, has made a significant impact on the global tech scene. Despite being  one of the smallest countries in the European Union, it ranks as a "strong innovator" in the European Innovation Scoreboard, which assesses the innovation performance of EU member states. 

Estonia also boasts the highest number of unicorns per capita in Europe, likely due to its business-friendly environment.

In April 2007, Estonia was hit by a devastating cyberattack that lasted 22 days, crippling critical services across the public and private sectors. This attack highlighted the growing vulnerability of governments and entities to cyber threats. 

In response, Estonia accelerated the development of the NATO-accredited Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence, which has since become a hub for cybersecurity innovation. Over the past decade, the ICT sector has driven Estonia's economy, with exports and job creation growing significantly. 

Today, with over nine national entities supporting NATO cyber defence innovation, Estonia has established itself as a leader in cybersecurity and innovation.

Objectives of the session

The REGDUALOSA stakeholder consultation in Tallinn (Estonia) will bring together key players from the Estonian cyber defence and digital ecosystem to:

  • Validate the analysis of the space regional ecosystem proposed by the REGDUALOSA experts.
  • Identify practical challenges and opportunities for funding, collaboration, and innovation.
  • Co-develop and provide evidence for policy recommendations to improve future policies and instruments at regional, national, and European levels to strengthen the cyber defence ecosystem and European strategic autonomy, focusing on synergies, coordination, and strategic investments.
  • Align local efforts with broader national and European strategies to ensure the region's sustainable growth and integration into the EU's strategic autonomy framework.
  • space research | defence industry | cooperation policy
  • Tuesday 28 January 2025, 13:00 - 16:00 (EET)
  • Tallinn, Estonia

Programme

  1. 28 Jan 2025, 13:00 - 13:10 (EET)
    Institutional Welcome

    Ilmar Vessin, Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs

  2. 13:10 - 13:15 (EET)
    Opening speech

    Carlos Torrecilla Salinas, Head of Unit Innovation Policies and Economic Impact, Joint Research Centre, European Commission Seville

  3. 13:15 - 13:30 (EET)
    Presentation of REGDUALOSA

    Carmen Sillero Illanes Senior Economic and Policy Analyst at the Joint Research Centre, European Commission 

  4. 13:30 - 13:45 (EET)
    Presentation General Report for REGDUALOSA European Cyber Defence Sociotechnical Ecosystem

    Liga Raita Rozentale - REGDUALOSA Expert

  5. 13:45 - 14:15 (EET)
    Presentation of Cyber Security Defence in Estonia

    Sille Arikas and David Ramiro Troitiño, TalTech, REGDUALOSA experts

  6. 14:15 - 15:45 (EET)
    Stakeholder consultation on the preliminary results of the Estonia REGDUALOSA case study on Cyber Security Defence

    Participation of stakeholders from Estonian Cyber Security

  7. 15:45 - 16:00 (EET)
    Final conclusions

Practical information

When
Tuesday 28 January 2025, 13:00 - 16:00 (EET)
Where
Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs of Estonia
Suur-Ameerika 1, 10122 Tallinn, Estonia
Languages
English

Description