Battery technology needs more environmentally friendly solutions, as the graphite currently used in batteries burdens nature heavily. One eco-friendlier alternative is to replace graphite with carbon materials produced from carbon dioxide. The industrial doctorate, created in collaboration between chemist Mirjam-Kim Rääbis, TalTech, and UP Catalyst, contributes to the development of such materials.
innovation
In Estonia, cross-sector collaboration is gaining momentum thanks to SekMo, the Intersectoral Mobility Support measure, which enables researchers and top specialists to move between academic and non-academic fields. During the first round, which concluded last year, €5.9 million was allocated to 65 projects to accelerate innovation and research-intensive solutions across various sectors.
At the sTARTUp Day 2025 festival in Tartu, the highest recognition went to SafePAS – a startup founded by TalTech Associate Professor Jekaterina Mazina-Šinkar. The company is developing Drug Hunter, a portable device for rapid drug detection.
The mountain-like oil shale ash heaps of Ida-Virumaa have long been a part of Estonia’s landscape, symbolizing both industrial heritage and environmental impact. But what if they hold a hidden treasure?
Researchers at TalTech, in collaboration with environmental services company Ragn-Sells, are developing innovative technologies to transform these waste materials into valuable resources, giving them a new purpose and sustainable future.