Forest, Soil and Biodiversity Accelerator

Forest, Soil and Biodiversity Accelerator Programme is a dedicated initiative designed by three experienced Estonian innovation partners — Tartu Science Park, Estonian University of Life Sciences and the Baltic Innovation Agency (BIA) — to support early-stage startups in the green technology sector. The programme is rooted in the partners’ extensive experience in delivering incubation and acceleration services tailored to cleantech startups.

The accelerator aims to provide comprehensive development support for (potential) startups focusing on innovative and green solutions in forestry, soil, biodiversity, and land use. The project addresses several critical challenges in these sectors, including data fragmentation in forestry, the need for improved interoperability between biodiversity, soil and forest data layers, and the growing demand for green technologies to support the green transition.

The programme contributes to Estonia’s climate neutrality goals by fostering prototypes and pilot projects that enable scalable, sustainable solutions. Startups developing user-friendly digital tools, carbon assessment methods or biodiversity-monitoring solutions are among the primary target groups. The programme supports the ambition for Estonia to not only apply green technologies but also to develop and export them. The accelerator is jointly led by SA Tartu Teaduspark, Baltic Innovation Agency (BIA), and the Estonian University of Life Sciences. BIA contributes with extensive experience in designing and running accelerator and incubation programmes – over 15 to date – including those focused on green technologies and mobility. BIA is also a co-founder of the hardware-oriented accelerator Buildit.

The programme will contribute to more robust startup ecosystems in the green technology field, particularly in underdeveloped areas like forest data technologies and biodiversity monitoring. It supports Estonia’s dual transition (green and digital), helps commercialise sustainable solutions with both environmental and social impact, and strengthens cooperation between startups, academia, and the public sector.

By the end of the programme (by 30.11.2025), at least 2 startups are expected to have raised private investment, and all programme participants will have built scalable, climate-positive solutions for market validation.