News

It has been a busy year at the University of Tartu: we celebrated the 106th anniversary of Estonia’s national university, our researchers and students received recognition, the number of admission applications increased at every level of study, and a new strategic plan was adopted.

A project of the University of Tartu Youth Academy aiming to create mathematics clubs for lower secondary school students has received support from Targa Tuleviku Fond (Smart Future Foundation). With this funding, a nationwide network of mathematics clubs will be established, offering lower secondary school students the opportunity to engage with mathematics beyond the standard curriculum.

At the end of November, the University of Tartu and the Commercial Association of Estonian Dairy Producers (EPIKO) signed a cooperation agreement to take research-based solutions and cutting-edge technology into everyday agriculture.

On 13 December, the team Rowtalia, consisting mainly of University of Tartu alumni – Karl Jürgenstein, Kait Kaarel Puss, Arnold Rein Tatunts and Andres Käosaar – set off to compete in the ocean rowing race World’s Toughest Row Atlantic 2025.

From 28 to 30 January 2026, the 10th international business festival Startup Day takes place at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu. The University of Tartu will be present with a diverse and engaging programme.

In 2025, the study that drew the most attention in public digital channels was led by Professor of Botany Meelis Pärtel and confirms the negative effect of human activity on wildlife biodiversity.

We wish our university community and friends a joyful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

On 19 December, the UT senate elected Kristel Uiboupin as the director of the university’s Youth Academy. She will begin her five-year term of office as the director on 1 April 2026.

Researchers at the University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science, Junior Research Fellow of Artificial Intelligence Joonas Ariva and Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence Dmytro Fishman, together with radiologists from Tartu University Hospital and engineers at Better Medicine, have developed an AI-based tool that accelerates the detection of kidney cancer. Its effectiveness was validated in a study published in Nature Communications Medicine.

The European Space Agency and the University of Tartu have signed an agreement to develop the ESTCube-3 satellite. This is a major step forward in advancing Estonia’s space technology and cybersecurity, providing students and researchers with the opportunity to practise satellite control and operations. ESTCube-3 is planned for launch by early 2029.

The University of Tartu’s endowment fund received 1.6 million euros from the bequest of expatriate Estonian Kadri Rõuk. This amount was used to establish the Rõuk Family Estonian Language Fund, which will advance and develop research on the Estonian language and teaching Estonian language and linguistics at the University of Tartu.

On 11 December, the University of Tartu and OÜ Vanalinna Ehitus signed the contract for the reconstruction, extension and furnishing of the Tallinn building of the University of Tartu.

Hanna Hõrak, Associate Professor of Molecular Plant Physiology at the University of Tartu Institute of Technology, has received a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grant to study how cell patterns form in plant leaves. The knowledge gained will support the breeding of plants suited to future climates.

In the recent call for the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grants, University of Tartu researchers received funding for three projects: to study the climate impact of air pollution particles, the formation of cell patterns in plant leaves, and women’s hormonal sensitivity. Each grant amounts to nearly two million euros, and the projects last for five years.

The European Research Council (ERC) decided to fund Associate Professor Triin Laisk’s research project, which aims to get a better understanding of the factors affecting women’s health and improve women’s well-being throughout their lives.

University of Tartu Associate Professor in Climate Physics Velle Toll received the Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) to quantify the extent to which air pollution particles cool the Earth’s climate. The results of Toll’s work would help fill a gap in our detailed understanding of human-induced climate change and improve the accuracy of climate projections.

The Estonian Young Academy of Sciences (EYAS) accepted nine new members, including Research Fellow of Microbial Communities Kertu Liis Krigul and Associate Professor in Climate Physics Velle Toll from the University of Tartu.

On 4 December, Lithuania’s Ambassador to Estonia, Gitana Skripkaitė, met Rector Toomas Asser.

At the meeting on 8 December, the council of the University of Tartu Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences re-elected Professor in Molecular Ecology Maarja Öpik as director of the institute.

A new MOOC co-developed by Skytte institute’s staff members and their partners is now available to learners worldwide on the FutureLearn platform. The course, titled “Growing Apart: What is polarisation and what can we do about it?”, explores the dynamics of political and social polarisation and offers practical tools for understanding and addressing it. The management of the FutureLearn course is led by partners from the University of Groningen, who, together with the University of Tartu, are part of the European University Alliance consortium, ENLIGHT.