People from different research groups, disciplines and Schools work in Centres of Excellence, creating new ideas and opportunities for the development of the economy and society. To deepen cross-School cooperation and create a longer-term plan, the University will support the established centres in the period 2024-2025 with a total of one million euros. Funds from national support measures for business cooperation, such as the ASTRA+ measure, are also directed to the development of the centres.

According to Argo Rosina, the head of the Energy of the Future Centre of Excellence, energy is the most dominant field in TalTech, also on the Estonian scale, involving a number of outstanding researchers from all Schools. "Since the green transition and energy covers all areas and sectors, and the University's competence in this field is strong, from the production of solar panels to artificial intelligence and innovative business models, we are looking forward to cooperation with companies from different backgrounds and public sector. As a result of the activities of the Centres of Excellence, we hope to see an increase in international and domestic contract volumes and greater involvement of our researchers in decision-making bodies and discussions related to the field," said Argo Rosin.

Tauno Otto, head of the Smart Industry Centre of Excellence, notes that industry is important to Estonia, as it provides the majority of Estonia's export revenue. He points out the new challenges and opportunities created by the development of technology and society. "AI is based on manufacturing technologies – without the electronics, AI is not possible. For example, the success of the chip manufacturer Nvidia is related to AI developments," notes Otto, and says that he wants to develop chipmaking capabilities in the centre of excellence. In the same way, developments in space technology offer opportunities precisely to smart industry – when planning missions to the Moon and Mars, you cannot put a heavy lathe in the space shuttle, but with 3D printing, the necessary tools and aids can be also made outside the Earth. And while war zones in the world also require Estonia to be prepared, the developments made with the help of scientists in the defence industry and the experience gained there can later be used in civilian applications as well. According to Otto, the Smart Industry Centre of Excellence works primarily with other universities, and professional associations, including the Federation of Estonian Engineering Industry, the Estonian Electronics Industries Association, the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications, and the AI and Robotics Estonia (AIRE), play an important role in the involvement of industry.

According to Andres Krumme, head of the Valorisation of Wood Centre of Excellence, wood is the most important bio-raw material for Estonia, the knowledge-based valorisation of which must be significantly more widespread than before in the interest of sustainable management in Estonia. "It needs strong and innovative entrepreneurship, which in turn is based on a strong scientific base and good education. For some time, we have been looking for a suitable cooperation platform to connect research groups operating in this field, and the centre of excellence has turned out to be the best solution," said Krumme.

He names the main partners as bio-product factories that valorise or plan to valorise lignocellulosic biomass, as well as the furniture industry, companies engaged in the construction of wooden houses and others whose interest is in wood or its components. Enterprises are also offered testing and analytics capabilities.

According to Jana Holmar, head of the Health and Food Technologies Centre of Excellence, health technology topics are dealt with in all TalTech Schools. She pointed out sensor technologies, e-health and secure software in the School of IT, biomedicine and food technologies in the School of Science, material research and 3D-printable prostheses in the School of Engineering, and data protection and occupational health in the School of Business and Governance. As its main partners, Holmar sees companies and organisations interested in health and food technologies, including healthcare institutions and the public sector.

According to Merit Kindsigo, head of the Smart Sea Centre of Excellence, there was no centre of excellence related to the sea in Estonia until now, but looking at the future strategy and directions globally, it was high time to do it. "At Kuressaare College, every curriculum, professorship, research development direction and competence centre are completely connected to the sea. At the same time, we are the only unit in the University that is actually located in the sea, which in turn means the skill heritage and knowledge of the islanders through the centuries," said Kindsigo. According to her, the best competence and the excellence of science gives the confidence to go to Europe and offer yourself as a strong lead coordinator of projects in the fields related to the sea; a good and meaningful project partner; a member of a working group or a professional expert.

According to Sven Nõmme, the head of the Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence, the plan is to map the activities, competence and needs of artificial intelligence in TalTech and its research groups, identify new possible cooperation projects and ensure a uniform approach to the subject of AI at the University. "In a very short time, artificial intelligence has transformed from a its own discipline that had only limited use in other fields to a phenomenon that affects many aspects of everyday life. This change has created the need to consider the development of artificial intelligence from different perspectives, for example by studying the sociological, legal and, of course, safety aspects of the use of artificial intelligence," explained Nõmm. In cooperation with private companies, the Centre primarily relies on the AI and Robotics Estonia, and it is also hoped to support various government institutions.