These messages have been prepared in collaboration with EISA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Tehnopol HealthTech Community, Health Founders, Tartu Biotechnology Cluster and companies from the HealthTech sector in the spring of 2024. A total of 8 sector-specific message packages have been created to support Estonian companies in exporting, HealthTech being one of them. ​
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The HealthTech sector includes the application of organised knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of life (WHO). 

Materials

Presentation
Fact sheet
Icosagen story
Dermtest story
Nortal story
Photos
Video

Data-powered personalised health

We have extensive experience in digital health to drive forward innovation in person-centred healthcare. 

With nearly two decades of experience developing digital health infrastructure, Estonia is paving the way for other countries with its expertise. In Estonia, 99% of health data – including secure e-health records, e-prescriptions, medical images, and online registration – is digital.   

Our companies have improved various aspects of healthcare by building the most comprehensive digital health ecosystems and secure health data exchange infrastructures for countries, hospital networks, medical registries, insurance providers, professionals, and patients.  

Estonian HealthTech sector goes beyond digital, merging with Biotech. As a top-ranking education nation with strong collaboration between universities, research organisations, public sector, and enterprises, we are constantly aiming for scientific excellence.   

Digital health records and a population-based biobank have provided extensive data for research and development, laying the foundation for various personalised health solutions. The outcomes have been transformed into proven and practical applications. 

Supportive facts
  • 1st ranking in The Bertelsmann Foundation’s Digital Health Index, we are the leading country in digital health for 2024 among 14 EU and 3 OECD countries.
  • 99% of health data created today is digitised and all individuals have an e-health record.
  • 20 years of experience developing national e-health infrastructure: Estonia’s health service has been digital since 2008.
  • 20% of Estonians have given their genome data to the Estonian Genome Centre, making it a powerful resource for genetic research, personalised medicine, and the international scientific community.
  • Estonia has the most extensive cross-border e-prescription and patient summary in Europe with 11 countries.
Sector strengths
  • Advanced digital health infrastructure. With nearly two decades of experience implementing the country’s digital health infrastructure, Estonia is paving the way for other countries with its expertise.
  • Extensive data integration and exchange with top-level data security. Estonia’s e-health system with digitised data is a prime example of nationwide data integration and advanced interoperability which fuels research, innovation, and precision medicine.
  • Cross-border data exchange with 11 countries plus more in the pipeline to provide care abroad. Implementing KSI Blockchain technology within the health information system enhances security by ensuring data integrity and protecting against threats.
  • Focus on personalised health. Our population-based biobank is a powerful resource for genetic research and personalised medicine, offering insights for Estonia and the international scientific community.
  • A collaborative ecosystem where public and private sector organisations and research institutions work closely together, leading to accelerated innovation, improved data operability, evidence-based practices, and many other benefits addressing complex health challenges.
  • High-level research capabilities supporting innovation from universities, research institutions and focused competence centres. Estonian companies have a proven track record of transforming foundational research into practical solutions.
  • Global reach –  Estonian HealthTech companies are known for their international impact by actively collaborating with international partners, exporting and adapting their solutions worldwide.

Driving digital health transformation  

With nearly two decades of experience developing the country’s digital health ecosystem, Estonia is paving the way for other countries with its expertise. 

In Estonia, we are already living in the digital future with digital services seamlessly integrated into everyday healthcare. 99% of health data has been digitised, including online prescriptions, digital images, online registration, e-health records, and secure online access to patients’ data. Estonian companies have built similar digital ecosystems for several countries worldwide (Finland, Germany, UAE, MEA region, the Baltic states etc).  

As the world leader in unicorns per capita, we have a great talent pool for digital innovation. Besides excellence in public health infrastructure, the Estonian HealthTech sector has developed a wide variety of digital health solutions, such as AI and diagnostic tools (Better Medicine), cybersecurity and data privacy (Cybernetica), digital therapeutics (DTx) solutions (Migrevention, CoNurse, Dermtest, Triumf Health, Cognuse), making healthcare more efficient, personalised and accessible. 

Innovation fuelled by collaboration 

In our collaborative ecosystem public and private sector organisations and research institutions work closely together to transform the future of health.  

We are reinventing the future of health through strong private and public, interdisciplinary, and cross-border cooperation. The Estonian government also fosters innovations through various incentives, grants, and policy making. We have a proven track record of transforming foundational research into practical solutions by fostering collaboration (Accelerate Estonia, Dermtest, Icosagen).  

Several Estonian HealthTech companies have established clinical partnerships with international institutions, reflecting Estonia’s impactful digital health ecosystem and global reach (Dermtest, Triumf Health, Cognuse, Icosagen).  

Additionally, Estonia has the most extensive cross-border e-prescription and patient summary in Europe with 11 countries. For instance, Finnish patients can go to a pharmacy in Estonia and retrieve medicine prescribed electronically by their doctor in Finland.  

Data-driven and person-centred health 

Developing better prevention and personalised health solutions by utilising decades of comprehensive health and genome data. 

Combining the vast range of health and genome data (Estonian Biobank) available in the country enhances the effectiveness of our medical interventions and personal healthcare capabilities. Estonia is known for scientific excellence, being engaged in numerous international research projects and the outcomes have been transformed into proven and practical solutions. For instance, application of biotechnology in our HealthTech sector ranges from genetic testing (Antegenes), and biopharmaceutical development (Icosagen) to the use of nanotechnology (Nanordica), synthetic biology and bioinformatics (Genecode, Synbase). Estonian companies offer know-how and cutting-edge technologies across all drug development and manufacturing stages (Icosagen, TBD Pharmatec, Solis BioDane). 

We are among the leading countries where data interoperability is available for secondary data exchange, leveraging it for public health research, policymaking, and healthcare management.  Privacy and data ownership are deeply ingrained in the e-health system – implementing KSI Blockchain ensures data integrity and protects against threats. This environment makes Estonia the perfect test bed to try out new ideas. Our experience demonstrates the potential of health data interoperability to drive innovation and transform healthcare systems globally.