Institute of Baltic Studies

🌟“Meet the Buyer” Event for oPEN Living Lab Tartu! 🌟 On November 13, Tartu’s Living Lab and Bax hosted the “Meet the Buyer” event, highlighting innovative solutions for sustainable building renovations. The event brought together Baltic representatives and European project partners to explore cutting-edge practices in energy-efficient retrofitting. 👷♂️ Martin Talts, CEO of KMT Prefab OÜ, shared insights on prefabricated elements and their application in high-rise renovations. 🌞 Solarstone demonstrated seamless integration of solar panels for vertical solar parks. ⚡ ENEFIT showcased strategies for maximizing the use of solar-generated electricity in apartment buildings. 📽️ Watch the session here: https://lnkd.in/eb96JHT2 Martin Talts | Kaspar Kriisk| KMT Prefab OÜ | Solarstone | ENEFIT| Institute of Baltic Studies | Tartu Regional Energy Agency | Annika Urbas | Thomas Gelauff | Bax | Dominic Stephen | Adélaïde Chopard #oPENLab #Meetthebuyer #Tartu

🌟 November is Youth Work Month in Estonia. At the Institute of Baltic Studies, we have always paid close attention to youth policies and projects. Why? Because, even if it sounds cliché, young people still are the future of humanity. Estonia offers valuable inspiration globally with some innovative youth work solutions and a strong structure. 📚 Over the years, we’ve explored youth work from various angles in IBS, such as European youth programs, the situation of youth hobby education in Estonia or the use of e-games in youth work. One of our most comprehensive studies that ended last year focused on the motivation and working conditions of youth sector workers (see link below). Despite their incredibly low salaries, the commitment of youth workers remains surprisingly high. Here’s what we learned: 💼 Estonia has around 12,300 youth sector workers, with roles divided as follows: recreation school teachers (43%), coaches (28%), hobby education instructors (15%), and youth workers (14%). 👩🎓 A majority (67%) of youth sector workers are women, and nearly half hold a master’s degree or higher. 💡 Workers in this sector are primarily motivated by the value of their work—helping young people grow and pursuing meaningful work aligned with their interests. However, there are challenges: 📉 Low pay and lack of fringe benefits are the biggest obstacles. Over 70% of full-time youth sector workers earned less than €1,500 gross per month in 2022. ⏰ Issues like overwork, inflexible hours, and lack of recognition contribute to dissatisfaction. 🛠️ There’s room for improvement in providing feedback, self-development opportunities, and employer support for professional growth. Our main takeaway? To build a stronger future for youth work, there’s an urgent need to increase national and local youth budgets. This would enable better pay, more training, improved working conditions, and better recognition of youth workers’ crucial role. https://lnkd.in/dQ9G2Sxs 🙌 Let’s continue to support those working tirelessly to empower young people. #YouthWork #Innovation #CulturalHeritage #Sustainability #SocialImpact #Estonia #YouthSector

🌟 Energetic Meeting in France 🌟 The #Increase project recently marked its first anniversary with a productive gathering in sunny Antibes, France. The team reviewed progress and outlined future steps for advancing Integrated Photovoltaic (#IPV) technologies. ☀️🇫🇷 For Estonia, a key milestone is the development of an IPV greenhouse at Tartu Hansa School, where the structure itself—built with solar-integrated glass—will generate energy, rather than relying on conventional rooftop panels. 🌱 Representing the Institute of Baltic Studies, Merit Tatar, Maarja Olesk, and Tõnis Eelma returned with several important takeaways: 🔸 IPV technology has advanced significantly, enabling the creation of architecturally striking buildings where walls and roofs generate solar energy. Some innovative glass panels, like those pictured, combine functionality with design and blend seamlessly into structures. 🔸 The project’s nine pilot initiatives all plan co-creation activities to design IPV-based buildings in collaboration with stakeholders, ensuring solutions are tailored to local needs.

🌟 November has been a busy and rewarding month at the Institute of Baltic Studies. Two of the Horizon projects we are part of held their first year General Assemblies, including the Herit4ages project. 🏛️✨   IBS plays a key role in Herit4ages project, focusing on community engagement, social innovation, and the sustainable renovation of cultural heritage buildings, including a pilot site in Tartu. 💡💬 During the first year, we've led efforts to co-create solutions with end-users and stakeholders, fostering collaboration and introducing innovative approaches. These efforts will culminate in a Co-creation Toolkit to guide inclusive and user-centered renovations. 📖🛠️   Looking ahead, IBS will also evaluate the social impact of these strategies, refining the framework for broader use, and explore ways to overcome barriers to adopting Herit4Ages solutions. This work ensures the project outcomes are scalable, practical, and respectful of cultural heritage values. Thanks to all the partners and the coordinators of Herit4ages project! 🌍 🤝   #Innovation #CulturalHeritage #SocialImpact #Sustainability #HorizonEU #CoCreation #RenovationSolutions

🙏 Thanks, Herit4ages project partners!

💡 "Networking is the art of quality communication," says Alina. Alina Nekrasova has been living and studying and working in Estonia for - oh my gosh! -already 7 years! 80% of the projects she works in, have come to her through networking. How does networking actually work in real life? And how can we tackle imposter syndrome—something many women, especially expats, experience? https://lnkd.in/djXa8Yfq 🎥 Stay tuned for our weekly videos, where expat women in Estonia share their unique journeys, challenges, and wins. Also: join our free job search workshops designed by IBS specifically for expat women. Let’s inspire and empower each other! ✨ #CeMeWE #ExpatWomen #JobJourney #Interreg

🏛️ Making Heritage smarter in Tartu. 🏛️ The beautiful office of the Institute of Baltic Studies in Tartu is becoming a very smart one thanks to participating in the Herit4ages project. The #Horizon Europe Herit4ages project is developing user-centric and data-driven retrofitting solutions for a resilient, energy efficient, and inclusive cultural heritage. Our office is one of the pilot cases to test renovation solutions in a heritage building. Yesterday we received a visit by our project partners from TESELA Materiales Innovación y Patrimonio, a centre for applied research on construction materials and cultural heritage in Spain. Gaspar Carrasco-Huertas, PhD and Ismael Azuaga-Arjona took a look (literally) into our walls to make the best-informed decisions on which materials and solutions to use while renovating a heritage building. They were received by the IBS Herit4Ages project manager Merit Tatar and consultant Tõnis Eelma. On top of that, the IBS office is now equipped with a cutting-edge sensor monitoring system. The installation utilized the Monitoring Heritage System, developed by the Fundación Santa María la Real del Patrimonio Histórico, to monitor and assess cultural heritage assets. The system includes 35 sensors, which measure temperature, relative humidity, luminosity, CO2, TVOCs, particulate matter, formaldehyde (HCHO), ozone (O3), and count persons, as well as magnetic window contacts and a rooftop weather station. Over the next two years, data collected will be used to analyze the building's conservation conditions, supported by a tailored algorithm. This monitoring will help assess the impact of Herit4ages solutions and integrate findings into the Herit4ages digital ecosystem developed by IDP Group. 🌍 We’re happy to be part of a project paving the way for a sustainable future for Europe’s cultural heritage. 💡✨ #Herit4Ages #HorizonEurope #SmartHeritage #SustainableFuture #CulturalHeritage #Innovation

🌍 As Estonia’s number one think tank in integration and migration research, IBS continues to contribute actively to critical national discussions. At the recent Integration Conference, organized by our long-term partner, the Integration Foundation/ Integratsiooni Sihtasutus, our team once again joined in the dialogues. Under the leadership of Kristjan Kaldur, IBS is conducting a study commissioned by Integratsiooni Sihtasutus, focusing on the challenges faced by stateless residents in Estonia when applying for citizenship. 🧐📑 This topic, crucial in Estonia, was at the forefront of the parliamentary party debate, where former Education Minister Tõnis Lukas highlighted that the state’s goal is not to "turn Estonian Russians into Estonians" but to bring them into a shared information space. 🤝 Another key issue discussed was the transition to Estonian-language education, a subject IBS has explored in-depth. Our research covers the transition in Tartu schools and adult Estonian language learning in non-Estonian-speaking environments. (Links to our studies in the comments ⬇️). The parliamentary debate featured representatives from Estonia’s leading political parties: 📍 Tõnis Lukas (Isamaa) 📍 Juku-Kalle Raid (Eesti 200) 📍 Vadim Belobrovtsev (Centre Party) 📍 Mart Kallas (EKRE) 📍 Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski (Reform Party) 📍 Raimond Kaljulaid (Social Democratic Party) 📸 Photo by Olavi Ruhno #Integration #MigrationResearch #LanguageLearning #IBS #Estonia #PolicyInnovation

🌍 After three years in Estonia, Christy describes it as cold, beautiful, and peaceful – a place that works for her. Here are some of her insights for navigating the Estonian job market: 🔍 The job market is centered around specific sectors, so structure your search accordingly. 💼 Feedback from recruiters can be limited. 📄 Avoid generic CVs; tailor yours to stand out. 🌐 Take advantage of the many virtual resources available for job search information. 👀 Looking for a job in Estonia? First: watch our video below for inspiration and practical tips! 🎥 https://lnkd.in/dFWXN5Fi Then: join our free job search workshops designed specifically for expat women. (Link in comments) ⬇️ ✨ Stay tuned for more videos sharing the experiences of expat women in Estonia, coming up once a week right here! ✨ #CeMeWE #ExpatWomen #JobJourney

We have been contributing actively with the Institute of Baltic Studies to the research on identity document security in the recent years. Honoured and humbled to have been part of the team led by Claude Bauzou and IDEMIA. Pick up a seat at final conference now!