Funding

An innovative environment, combined with great value for money, has made Estonia a desirable destination for both students and researchers in a knowledge-based society. Here, you can find a short introduction about the funding system in Estonia and links to click to gain a deeper knowledge about the funding possibilities.

The main principles of R&D in Estonia are defined in the Organisation of Research and Development Act (first version adopted in 1997), which stipulates the bases for the organisation of R&D and secures the legal means for the preservation and further development of scientific and technological work as a part of the Estonian culture and economy.

Research in Estonia is mainly financed by the government and businesses, which both account for approximately 40% of research funding. The rest comes from foreign funds (mainly EU framework programmes).

Research funding measures from Estonian ministries and European Union programmes. The relevant ministries can give information about national R&D programmes.

The instruments of financing Estonian research and development activities:

The European Union’s instruments for funding research and development activities are mainly covered by framework programmes. The ninth framework programme from 2021 onwards is Horizon Europe.

For incoming researcher:

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