The future of Pärnu is born from innovation – the city selects new pilot projects

The City of Pärnu has selected companies whose smart ideas will receive support from the Pärnu Innovation Fund this year. The four chosen projects will help make the urban space smarter, more sustainable, and more people-friendly.

Through the innovation competition, the City of Pärnu supports the piloting and implementation of new technological solutions in real urban environments. This time, Pärnu was looking for data-driven, circular economy-supporting projects in the fields of mobility, education, and digital platforms, distributing a total of €59,500. In total, 44 applications were received.

“The Innovation Fund is our opportunity to test solutions that belong to the city of the future – today,” said Pärnu Deputy Mayor Irina Talviste. “The supported projects will help make Pärnu a smarter and more sustainable city for all of us. We are delighted that companies see Pärnu as a partner through whom they can test their ideas in real life. The strong interest in the fund shows that Pärnu is a developing and forward-looking city with space for smart solutions and collaboration.”

The funded projects are: GaiaHub (€19,400), Hades Geodeesia (€16,100), Teede Tehnokeskus (€15,000), and Paul-Tech (€9,000). GaiaHub will bring a cycling-centred mobility platform to Pärnu, which will serve as both a management portal for city officials and a transparent public communication channel for residents. Hades Geodeesia aims to create a drone-based, visually intuitive and versatile digital model of the urban environment that can be used by various city departments for decision-making and citizen engagement. The pilot project by Teede Tehnokeskus will establish a modern, data-driven system for managing and developing the city’s street infrastructure. Paul-Tech will support the city in improving the management and awareness of urban greenery.

“This year, the quality of applications was exceptionally high – the proposed solutions were well thought through and their value to the city was clearly evident. Many ideas focused on practical products that could help reduce administrative costs and increase efficiency. Although these were pilot projects, it was already clear that the return on investment for the city would emerge from the very first trials. Competition was intense, with a record number of applications, and many projects showed synergy and potential for cooperation. The strong interest confirms that we are moving in the right direction,” said Martin Goroško, Business Development Manager at Tehnopol.

The selected projects will be implemented in real-life environments across Pärnu – companies will have access to the city’s infrastructure, contacts, and data, as well as valuable feedback from residents to further refine their solutions.

In previous years, several projects supported by the Innovation Fund have already become part of Pärnu’s urban landscape, such as Solintel’s solar- and wind-powered smart streetlights and Traffest’s AI-based traffic monitoring system, which helps the city plan mobility more effectively.

The innovation competition, organised in cooperation between Tehnopol and the City of Pärnu, is part of a broader initiative that connects municipalities and technology companies to test innovative smart city solutions. Tehnopol runs similar competitions in Tallinn and in the German city of Heidelberg.

Photo credit: Priidu Saart