MEKTORY INNOVATION CENTER IS NOW OPEN

Tallinn University of Technology opened its innovation and entrepreurship center Mektory last week. The center has already been operating for more than a year, with over 15 product development projects under its belt as well as its first contracts with major companies. Mektory’s now-completed 4,450-square-meter building houses a number of labs ranging from mobile services to welding, as well as a demo center, an youth exhibition center, and workshops dedicated to China, Japan, Australia and the US.

“A very important goal of ours is growing the next generation and showing young people that there is nothing odd, remote or boring about engineering,” said Tea Varrak, director of Mektory and Vice-Rector of Tallinn University of Technology. She said the center will help stimulate the economy, boost competitiveness and internationalize Estonia.

The opening was attended by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Minister of Economic Affairs Juhan Parts.

MEKTORY’s 4,450 m² four-storey building is a network of different test laboratories, workshops, demo studios of companies, an exhibition and conference hall, theme studios of cultures of different countries and the Energy Discovery Centre. Children, students, lecturers and entrepreneurs – all are welcome to Mektory. An atmosphere has been created where people of all ages can feel at home and realize how interesting and down-to-earth the world of technology really is.

MEKTORY is a place where science and market demand meet in order to carry out innovative projects. These projects are profitable to entrepreneurs and offer experience for students and opportunities of research and development to the university. Students from different universities, specialities and countries establish project teams under the supervision of researchers to develop technological and design solutions, as well as business models!

18 Nov 2013