A Digital Journey Through Tartu and Elva: Exploring Estonia’s Smart Future
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Earlier this month, representatives from WestBIC and Leitrim County Council spent two days immersed in the heart of Estonia’s digital transformation — an inspiring experience filled with innovation, collaboration, and forward-thinking ideas. Hosted in the beautiful cities of Tartu and Elva, the event brought together delegates from across Europe to share good practices, explore local digital initiatives, and envision what a smart, sustainable future could look like.
Day 1: Innovation in Action — From Tartu to Elva
The journey began at the Tartu Centre for Creative Industries, where Sven Tobreluts from the Association of the Municipalities of Tartu County warmly welcomed the delegates. Founded in 2009 to support creative entrepreneurs, the Centre plays a vital role in helping local businesses develop, expand, and explore export opportunities. The Centre offers a range of services, including mentorship and coaching, entrepreneurship training, and joint marketing and events, fostering the growth of a dynamic creative economy in the region.
After a brief interlude to sing Happy Birthday to Piret and Jannika, the morning focused on reviewing project progress and setting sights on the semester ahead. Each partner country shared updates on participative events, communication activities, and good practices — offering a glimpse into the rich diversity of digital solutions being implemented across Europe.
The attendees were particularly inspired by Estonia’s initiatives to support creative entrepreneurship through digital platforms, databases, and self-assessment tools. Equally fascinating was the presentation on how digital services are helping reduce school food waste in Tartu County, demonstrating how technology can make a tangible difference in everyday life.
In the afternoon, the delegation travelled to Elva, where digitalisation is seamlessly integrated into education, governance, and community development. They visited Elva Gymnasium, sampled the school lunches discussed earlier, and learned about the innovative digital tools used to enhance learning. Municipal leaders shared their strategic vision for digital growth, and a visit to Promens OÜ offered a fascinating look at how smart manufacturing is thriving in the region. The day concluded with a lively dinner at Uhti Inn, full of great conversations, music, singing and shared inspiration.
Day 2: Lessons from e-Estonia
Back in Tartu the next morning, the visitors delved deeper into Estonia’s renowned digital governance model. Led by Johanna-Kadri Kuusk from the e-Estonia Briefing Centre, the session highlighted how Estonia has evolved from early e-solutions to a fully digital society where 99% of public services are online. With initiatives like e-Residency, digital tax declarations that take just minutes, and a once-only principle that eliminates repetitive bureaucracy, Estonia has built a system based on trust, transparency, and efficiency.
The delegates also explored practical local examples, such as the SPOKU platform, which simplifies municipal processes and supports hobby education. Initiated by the City of Tartu, SPOKU is a self-service platform that allows residents to submit and manage applications for over 30 different services in the fields of sports and culture. For the past six years, SPOKU has been a key tool in providing easy access to local public services. The representatives also learned about Tartu City’s data-driven approach to public transport planning, showing how digitalisation is improving the efficiency of local services.
In Elva Municipality, other digital solutions like Arno (a public services platform), Volis (for online voting), and ARCGIS (a digital mapping application for infrastructure data) are transforming how services are provided. In addition, Elva has introduced innovative initiatives like digital book lockers to make library access more convenient and QR-coded memorial trees and benches that connect history with public space.
Looking Ahead: A Shared Digital Vision
Throughout the two days, good practices were shared from across Europe — Hungary’s “Digital Batman” initiative, Latvia’s digital twin of the Ogre River, and the Netherlands’ Farm Scan tool for agri-innovation. Conversations around “futuring” encouraged the partners to think boldly about 2040: What kind of world do we want to live in, and how can policy today help achieve that vision?
What made the trip truly special wasn’t just the technology — it was the people, the openness, and the collective drive to learn from one another. Estonia’s digital story is powerful not only because of its achievements but because of how generously it’s shared, inspiring others to imagine what’s possible.
As the delegates returned home, they carried with them not only ideas and tools but a renewed sense of possibility. Digital transformation is not just about efficiency — it’s about shaping a better future for everyone.
To learn more about the Digital Rural project visit our website.