Projects

CRASHLESS aims at radically new cross-layer reliability and self-health awareness technology for tomorrow's intelligent autonomous systems and IoT edge devices in Estonia and EU. The enormous complexity of today's advanced cyber-physical systems and systems of systems is multiplied by their heterogeneity and the emerging computing architectures employing AI-based autonomy. The setups, such as autonomous swarms of robotic vehicles, are already on the doorstep and call for novel approaches for reliability across all the layers. Continuous self-health awareness and infrastructure for in-field self-healing are becoming an enabling factor for new IoT edge devices and systems on the way to market. The new deep-tech by CRASHLESS equips engineers with design-phase solutions and in-field instruments for industry-scale systems and, ultimately, facilitates the user experience of the system’s crashless operation. The results are to be validated in close collaboration with Estonian companies.

DNA replication is one of the major targets of cancer therapies, as cancer cells tend to proliferate faster than normal cells and are generally more prone to replication stress. Most of our current knowledge about DNA replication initiation, or origin firing, currently comes from model organisms, such as yeast, but their applicability to the human system is limited. It is important to study replication initiation in human cells in order to be able to exploit the findings in cancer therapies. The main objectives of this project are to identify novel players in various stages of human replication initiation and characterize the non-catalytic roles of DNA polymerase epsilon and protein Timeless in replisome assembly.

The environmental impact of the pharmaceutical industry is a huge problem. The production and use of pharmaceuticals cause high CO2 emissions, contamination of soils, biota, and water, and even dangers to human health through carcinogenic impurities. Especially the use of solvents is a major problem. The European Green Deal has led to strict regulations on environmental pollution by the pharma industry, causing manufacturers to move outside of the EU due to the high costs associated with green pharma. This results in supply chain fragility and low crisis preparedness in Europe. New methods to produce pharmaceuticals in a green, efficient, and economically friendly way are required. The IMPACTIVE project brings together the expertise and knowledge from two COST Actions and will develop novel green methods to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) using mechanochemistry as a disruptive technology (as acknowledged by IUPAC). Mechanochemistry uses mechanical processes, such as ball milling, twin-screw extrusion, resonant acoustic mixing, and spray drying, to induce chemical reactions. The advantages of mechanochemistry include: no solvent use, high efficiency, low costs, and reduced energy use and CO2 emission. Upon completion of the project, we will provide proof-of-concept at a small pilot scale of the use of mechanochemistry to produce 6 APIs from 3 different families of compounds. Based on a recent study, switching to mechanochemistry can reduce terrestrial ecotoxicity and CO2 emissions by more than 85%, while production costs were reduced with 12%. The results of the IMPACTIVE project will thus enable pharmaceutical manufacturers to move back to Europe while minimizing environmental pollution.Through our strong dissemination and communication strategy we will ensure that the project´s results are shared with scientists, the pharmaceutical industry, and stakeholders from regulatory and public authorities to achieve maximum impact.

Active mobility is an accessible, healthy and green mode of transport. In the BSR dark winters, with snow and rain, active mobility usage drops. To increase Year-Round Active Mobility (YRAM), suitable infrastructure and equipment must be in place, and citizens need to see it as an attractive and safe option. Public Authorities responsible for urban design, mobility planning and road maintenance do not currently give special consideration for YRAM. Out of tradition, mobility and road planning is still largely focused on cars, and cycling and walking planning typically targets daylight and warmer weather conditions. By learning about the benefits and opportunities through accessing new tools and evidence-based recommendations on YRAM, planners can implement the right interventions to increase AM use all year round, contributing to low carbon mobility systems. BATS supports local and regional authorities to design and implement policies, infrastructures and campaigns that effectively promote Year-Round Active Mobility (walking and cycling in adverse light and weather conditions). Our two solutions will be co-developed and tested in 7 BSR countries and transferred to neighbouring cities and regions. Solution 1: a YRAM Technical Toolkit, helps planners to Diagnose YRAM issues, develop Intervention Strategies and Monitor progress. Solution 2: a Citizen Activation Guide for YRAM helps planners understand and prioritise user groups and deploys effective campaigns to promote AM use.

The goal is to study new solutions & principles for electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with significantly improved metrological and functional characteristics, like higher measurement accuracy, resolution and speed, lower power consumption and wider frequency and dynamic ranges. New solutions enhance the existing and enable new applications of EIS in healthcare, biology and industries. The principles & solutions to measure biological & physiological properties of organs, tissues and microorganisms/pathogens, as well as of composites, alloys etc. are the subjects of the research. Unique low-cost low-power miniaturized high-resolution and flexible measurement components with various connectivity (IoT, BAN etc) will be created by new EIS groundings. An important R&D aspect is synchronous signal processing and communication in EIS sensor-arrays. Research aspects: sampling theory AI/ML) and metrology (eg novel calibration techniques, methods of implementation in biology and medicine.

Enhancers are short distal cis-regulatory DNA regions that drive expression of a gene. However, enhancers do not function exclusively as DNA entities. Activated enhancers are transcribed by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), which produces enhancer-derived RNAs (eRNAs). Production of eRNA creates additional trans-regulatory mechanisms facilitated by DNA-RNA, RNA-RNA, or protein-RNA interactions. Due to eRNAs’ fast degradation rates, and lack of robust and standardized sequencing methods, reports about the molecular nature of eRNA molecules and their processing are conflicting, making mechanisms of gene regulation by eRNA controversial. Even less is known about co- and post-transcriptional processing of eRNA. This project aims to overcome the controversy and fill the knowledge gap by studying a well-defined experimental system, cultured rat cortical neurons, and activation of immediate-early gene (IEG) response, perturbing the core eRNA endonuclease and combining this with eRNA-tailored sequencing, computational and biochemical methods. The developed integrative approach will reveal molecular features of eRNA molecules and their precursors genome-wide, opening the opportunity to study eRNA biogenesis to further understand molecular mechanisms behind the eRNA-mediated gene regulation.

The IDEA Project focuses on digitalisation and predictive justice, which can be applied in labour law disputes, both in European and national contexts. We aim to develop a digitalised procedure and a platform to address harmonisation across digitalisation and predictive algorithms in access to justice, encompassing interaction with the forthcoming EU legislations on the Digitalisation of judicial operation and access to justice and the AI Act and to verify it together with six judicial authorities and numerous practitioners. This method has an innovative character – combining legal analysis with broad text mining techniques – as it will unravel the concept of predictivity to assess the (in)compatibility with the rule of law in civil law systems.

CREA3 aims to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven tools to assist EU citizens in resolving disputes by applying innovative game theoretical (GT) algorithms. To improve access to justice and interaction with the rule of law, we seek to develop a strategy that addresses harmonisation across digitalisation and predictive algorithms. This approach, which combines legal research with extensive text-mining techniques, is novel since it will explore the idea of testing and evaluating how well family law systems in six EU legislations adhere to the new forthcoming “Regulation on the digitalisation of judicial cooperation and access to justice in cross-border civil, commercial and criminal matters”.

How do neurons maintain their function throughout life? Neurons are born early in development and are not regenerated during an individual’s lifetime. Therefore, after maturation, our neurons must remain functional throughout life, which in humans can be up to a hundred years of more. The goal of my ERC Starting Grant 2024 proposal EpiNeuroLife was to uncover how the formation of the epigenetic landscape during neuronal maturation contributes to the maintenance of neuronal gene expression and function during adulthood and ageing. My preliminary studies show that developing neurons in the mouse cerebellum accumulate extremely high levels of the repressive histone modification H3K27me3 during maturation, which I hypothesise is critical for regulating chromatin compaction and neuronal gene expression later in life. In MOB3ERC113, I will generate supporting data for my ERC application to uncover the mechanisms of H3K27me3 deposition in neurons.

The overall objective of the EquiTech project is to increase the capacity of Estonian and Lithuanian authorities to address risks of bias and discrimination in ADM procedures. This will be achieved through the development of research, support materials, training and a media campaign. This will be achieved as follows: 1. A desk study addressing gaps in the Estonian and Lithuanian policy and legal frameworks on AI, together with a mapping of potential risks of discrimination and bias in ADM systems used by Estonian authorities. 2. Developing practical tools to prevent potential risks of discrimination and bias in the design and implementation of ADM systems; 3. Improving the skills and knowledge of users and developers of ADM systems through training, study tours, an international conference and academic webinars; 4. Raising public awareness of the risks of discrimination and bias in public sector ADM systems. As a result, we will reduce the potential for discrimination and prejudice in the Estonian and Lithuanian ADM systems and set an example for other Member States by contributing to national anti-racism action plans and strategies against anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hatred and xenophobia, LGBTIQphobia and all other forms of intolerance.

Advancing education of engineers through AI for cyber-sustainable and energy-efficient union involves a collaborative ENERGYCOM network of Baltic, Scandinavic and Nordic institutions, including Kaunas University of Technology, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Riga Technical University, Tallinn University of Technology, University of Tartu, University of Vaasa and UiT The Arctic University of Norway. This network aims to address engineering education, focusing on cyber-sustainability and energy efficiency by integrating advanced AI-powered teaching and learning methods. Within this project, ENERGYCOM introduces AI-powered assistants into the learning ecosystem, preparing engineers to tackle global challenges in sustainability and cybersecurity while adhering to ethical principles. Key activities include workshops, express mobility programs, and academic exchanges covering fields such as like mechatronics, power systems, robotics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and human-centric information systems. By integrating AI-driven tools into education, the initiative aims to prepare students and educators to think critically, solve complex problems, and develop sustainable and energy-efficient solutions. The network builds on the EU's strategic initiatives, such as the Digital Education Action Plan, Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Strategy, to strengthen digital competencies and promote sustainability.

Although there is a clear need in Estonia to make economic policy more responsible and smarter, the call for projects highlights the challenge of a lack of unified understanding of what sustainability entails across different sectors in the long term. Most of the described pain points are also noted in strategic documents guiding Estonia’s sustainable economic development. Hence, the key problems are more evident at the policy implementation level, where public sector interventions have sometimes yielded opposite results, had minimal impact, or progressed too slowly. The project aims to analyze and solve these problems through the following activities First, to analyze and synthesize what opportunities does the green transition offer for Estonia, and what prerequisites are needed to realize them? We will validate some of these opportunities, create cross-sectoral links, and obtain a realistic picture of what the green transition entails in sectors most crucial for sustainability transition. Second, clarifying the above and mapping the way forward will allow for a deeper investigation into necessary changes in policy measures: which public sector interventions should be increased, newly created, reduced, or discontinued. Third, to achieve real change in businesses, we will collaborate with the Client to design novel interventions for the next period's economic policy. We expect long-term results, as the project coincides with policy design for the 2027-2034 budget period, enabling the public sector to acquire skills that are more effective for solving today’s and future problems. The output will be policy recommendations (measure design and skills) implemented from 2027 onward.