Digital Innovation summer school
TIME:
10.08.2026—21.08.2026
OBJECTIVE:
Teams will develop robust, policy-backed solutions for 5-6 real-world digital governance challenges submitted in advance
CORE FOCUS:
Digital Identity, Interoperability, AI Ethics, and Digital Society Resilience.
DAILY STRUCTURE:
Two morning lectures/seminars followed by a dedicated afternoon for practical group work and study visits.
GROUP WORK FOCUS:
Applied problem-solving and presentation of a viable solution blueprint by the end of Week 2.
Date | Topic | Description | Activities |
WEEK 1: Foundations, Theory, and Challenge Analysis | |||
10.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Keynote: Introduction to Digital Society & e-Governance | Lectures & Seminars Lectures & Seminars | Group Work Focus / Key Activity – Challenge Definition. Establishing a clear, collaborative project focus. |
10.08.26 10:45-13:00 | Socialization & Group Formation. Icebreakers, campus tour, challenge introduction, and forming international teams. | ||
10.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Mentored Teamwork: Challenge Deep Dive & Goal Setting. Teams define the scope, identify core stakeholders, and analyze the problem statement. | Applied/ Immersive Activities | |
11.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: Digital Identity Management (eID, SSO, Foundations) | Lectures & Seminars Lectures & Seminars | Contextual Inquiry. Gathering real-world governance insights. |
11.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: Legal & Regulatory Aspects of e-Governance. | ||
11.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Parliament/Government Digital Services Agency (Observing policy and public service delivery in practice) | Applied/ Immersive Activities | |
12.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: Interoperability, Data Exchange & API Standards. (X-Road models) | Lectures & Seminars Lectures & Seminars | Solution Design. Creating a detailed, viable blueprint. |
12.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: IT Project Lifecycle, Requirements & Risk Management | ||
12.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Mentored Teamwork: Solution Blueprint Design. Teams translate the Challenge into a specific Guiding Question and develop the detailed policy and technology blueprint. | Applied/ Immersive Activities | |
13.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: Trustworthy AI and Automation in Public Services. (Ethics, data governance) | Lectures & Seminars Lectures & Seminars | Inspiration & Innovation. Exploring future-focused technologies. |
13.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: Change Management and Digital Transformation | ||
13.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Digital Tech Hub/University Lab. (Focus on R&D, emerging tech, and academic collaboration). | Applied/ Immersive Activities | |
14.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Seminar 1: Business Process Management and Monitoring | Lectures & Seminars Lectures & Seminars | |
14.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Seminar 2: Integrating Legacy Systems into Modern Digital Infrastructure. | ||
14.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Group Work: Prototyping Phase 1. Unmentored time for teams to build initial prototypes (wireframes, process flows, mock-ups) and internal progress checks. | Applied/Immersive Activities | Prototyping. Building the first visual iteration of the solution. |
WEEK 2: Resilience, Deep Dives, and Pitch Delivery | |||
17.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: Digital Society Resilience & Crisis Preparedness | Lectures & Seminars Lectures & Seminars | Testing & Iteration. Ensuring the solution is resilient and sustainable. |
17.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: Financial/Economic Modeling for Digital Projects. | ||
17.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Mentored Teamwork: Solution Testing & Refinement. Teams test their prototypes against resilience scenarios and refine their recommendations based on Week 1 feedback. | Applied/ Immersive Activities | |
18.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: Identity & Access Management (IAM) in Large-Scale Systems | Lectures & Seminars Lectures & Seminars | |
18.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Lecture 2: Guest Lecturer on Specialized Security or Digital Policy. | ||
18.08.26 13:45-15:15 | Technical Resilience Facility (e.g., Data Center or Cyber Unit). (Observing technical continuity and security measures). | Applied/ Immersive Activities | Observational Learning. Seeing security practices in action. |
19.08.26 09:00-10:30 | Lecture 1: Pitching Training: Storytelling for Impact | Lectures & Seminars | Content Lock-in. Finalizing all presentation materials and data. |
19.08.26 10:45-12:15 | Mentored Teamwork: Pitch Content Finalization. Final check on all presentation content, ensuring data is supported and recommendations are clearly articulated. | Applied/Immersive Activities | |
20.08.26 | National holiday! Time for cultural exploration. Students can decide what they want to do with that day. We can suggest options, like a visit to Open-Air museum to learn about historic Estonia. Or Vabamu for more recent events. Students are also welcome to go on a day trip to Helsinki, Pärnu or Tartu. | Self-learning | |
21.08.26 09:00-13:00 | Final Challenge Presentations. Each team pitches their Solution (15 min presentation + 10 min Q&A) to a panel of experts and peers. | Lectures & Seminars | Program Conclusion. Formal closing and celebration. |
13:00-14:00 | Wrap-up, Reflections & Graduation Ceremony. (Certificates and program closing remarks). | Applied/ Immersive Activities | |
Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will be able to:
• Define and explain the key principles of digital society and e-governance.
• Apply digital identity management frameworks (eID, SSO) to public service design.
• Interpret and evaluate legal and regulatory requirements in e-governance contexts.
• Analyze interoperability architectures and API standards for data exchange.
• Develop and manage IT project plans using lifecycle, requirement, and risk management methods.
• Assess ethical, social, and governance implications of AI in public services.
• Design strategies for organizational change and digital transformation.
• Model and optimize business processes for improved efficiency and accountability.
• Integrate legacy systems into contemporary digital infrastructures.
• Evaluate resilience and crisis preparedness mechanisms in digital societies.
• Apply financial and economic modeling tools to digital project assessment.
• Design and implement identity and access management (IAM) solutions for large-scale systems.
• Critically appraise specialized security and digital policy frameworks.
• Communicate digital innovation ideas through effective pitching and storytelling.
• Demonstrate professional competence in handling expert and public feedback.
• Apply advanced data governance and privacy frameworks to ensure compliance and trust.
• Evaluate and interpret emerging technologies shaping the future of the digital state.
Price per participant is 1200 euros.
Price includes:
- Accommodation in twin room with other participants;
- Lunch in the canteen on 9 program days;
- Tallinn public transport card valid for unlimited use during the program;
Accommodation is nearby TalTech campus, accessible with public transport.