Welfare Technology Program
The Welfare Technology Program supports innovation and the adoption of new technologies in the health and care sector.
Estonia’s population is ageing, and more people require daily support, while the resources of service providers are limited.
The development program brings together local governments, service providers (including hospitals, care homes and NGOs), universities, technology companies, and service users – offering comprehensive innovation support from concept to deployment.
Our aim is to help create and test solutions that:
- support communities with technologies that increase independence and quality of life,
- reduce the burden on those supporting their loved ones at home,
- make services more accessible and efficient,
- improve job satisfaction among care workers.
Value for our international partners:
- Find local partners in Estonia to work with and enter the market through collaboration
- Develop and prove your product or service together with end users and decision-makers in the Estonian health and social care sector
- Collaborate with service providers like care homes, hospitals and community services to refine and test your solution in real-life settings
- Develop a funding and business model that will work best in the Estonian market
The program is based on the Norwegian methodology Roadmap for Service Innovation, developed by the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities, which provides a structured approach for integrating welfare technologies into public services.
Accelerating Innovation in Health and Social Care
We offer funding, mentoring, and real-world testing to bring welfare technologies into use where they matter most.
At the end of the first stage, the strongest teams receive €30,000 grant to develop their solution.
In the second stage, teams can apply for funding from the €15+ million grant fund to implement and scale their solution.
The Welfare Technologies Development Programme is an implementation activity of the Ministry of Social Affairs’ “Welfare Technologies Innovation Programme 2025–2030”, co-funded from the European Union Cohesion Policy 2021–2027 measure “Improving the accessibility and quality of long-term care”.
The Welfare Technology Program is carried out on behalf of the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs by Tehnopol, Civitta, and the Estonian Academy of Arts.
