The FinEst Twins project is the flagship cross-border research and development initiative of the FinEst Centre for Smart Cities, connecting Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia with Aalto University in Finland. The project develops knowledge-sharing infrastructure and real-life pilot projects in both countries, focusing on smart energy, built environment optimisation, urban analytics, smart mobility, and smart city governance.
Pilot projects are conducted in actual urban environments in Tallinn and Helsinki, testing solutions ranging from building energy performance monitoring and renovation strategy tools to autonomous mobility systems and urban green space design platforms. A distinctive feature is the emphasis on cross-border knowledge transfer, recognising that Estonian and Finnish cities share similar challenges but have developed different strengths in digital innovation.
The project leverages Estonia's world-leading digital government expertise and Finland's strength in citizen-centred design to develop smart city solutions that are technically robust, user-friendly, and transferable to other Northern European contexts. FinEst Twins contributes to the European smart city research community by publishing academic papers, developing open-source tools, and organising the annual Smart City Exchange Forum.
The project is supported by the Estonian government's smart specialisation strategy and European structural funds, reflecting the strategic importance of smart city innovation for both countries.