At the beginning of May, more than 3,000 professionals from the life sciences and health tech sectors convened at the Swiss Biotech Day in Basel, united by a common objective: to foster innovation in health and life sciences through international collaboration. Estonia showcased its advanced life science and digital capabilities and the value it can offer to international partners.

On May 6th, a roundtable discussion titled “Building Large Scale Digital Infrastructure for Healthcare” was held, featuring prominent speakers such as Peter Speyer, Head of Data and Analytics at the Novartis Foundation; Olivier Reynaud, Platforms Manager at Foundation Campus Biotech Geneva; Aditya Yellepeddi from the Swiss Biotech Association; along with Katrina Laks from Migrevention, Tarmo Kiivit from Helmes and Sven Parkel from the Tartu Biotechnology Park. The roundtable was opened by Mariin Ratnik, the Estonian Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Economic Cooperation and Development.

This event marked the first time an Estonian delegation, comprising representatives from companies, government, and the health and life science community, participated.

Transition from resource limitations to a global leader in e-governance

Estonia’s journey from limited resources to becoming a digital pioneer in e-government and health innovation began during its early days of re-independence. Mariin Ratnik outlined during the panel discussion: “Faced with a crucial decision to either invest in costly commercial solutions or to innovate from the ground up, Estonia leveraged its existing resources and expertise.” Drawing inspiration from Germany for its constitution, modelling its ID card on Finland’s design, and utilizing talent from its strong technical universities, Estonia embarked on a national mission to create a digital state, underpinned by strong political will and substantial engineering acumen.

“The driving force behind this transformation was a bold vision to establish a digital-first government.”
Tarmo Kiivit, Helmes

This effort resulted in a comprehensive, interoperable infrastructure that serves as a global benchmark for digital governance, encompassing essential public domains such as taxation, education, justice, and healthcare. “The driving force behind this transformation was a bold vision to establish a digital-first government,” emphasized Tarmo Kiivit from the Estonian company Helmes.

Also, he brought out key initiatives that included making electronic ID (eID) mandatory for all citizens, launching X-Road in 2001 to facilitate secure, encrypted data exchange between numerous stakeholders, and implementing nationwide awareness programs to enhance digital literacy and trust.

“The government established transparency, allowing citizens to access their data and manage permissions regarding who could view it. Additionally, the “once only” principle was adopted to eliminate repetitive data requests, significantly streamlining public services and promoting data reuse,” added Tarmo Kiivit. Most core components of the e-government framework were released as open source, fostering transparency, innovation, and global collaboration.

Estonia’s digital edge in healthcare

In the panel discussion, Sven Parkel from Tartu Biotechnology Park highlighted that Estonia’s digital maturity has positioned it as a hub for healthcare innovation. “The country benefits from a robust electronic health records system, secure digital ID infrastructure, and seamless data interoperability, enabling rapid testing and implementation of health tech solutions,” he added. Its digitally savvy population is accustomed to engaging with online government and health services, further supporting innovation.

“An illustrative example is Migrevention, an Estonian startup focused on migraine management, which successfully leveraged the country’s digital health ecosystem,” emphasized Katrina Laks, who is the co-founder and CEO of Migrevention. By collecting real-world health data, it achieved early clinical validation of its product. Close collaboration with public health institutions also allowed for the swift piloting and refinement of its services.

“The conducive regulatory environment facilitated real-time iterations, while a digitally literate user base provided critical feedback and support for early adoption.” Migrevention’s achievements reflect a broader system designed to foster startups and scalable solutions that genuinely enhance the quality of life,” added Laks.

“Making those decisions over two decades ago required real courage and vision, enabling us to develop the future of healthcare technologies faster.”
Katrina Laks

The Swiss partners acknowledged that while significant progress has been made, work continues toward fully harnessing the potential of their health data infrastructure. “While valuable data exists, it remains scattered across various systems, lacking the necessary integration to support seamless use,” outlined Olivier Reynaud from Foundation Campus Biotech Geneva. Another important barrier is public trust, especially regarding electronic identity and the role of private actors in managing sensitive health data.

Aditya Yellepeddi from the Swiss Biotech Association added: “Despite having a technically mature ecosystem, more effort is needed to strengthen public–private cooperation and ensure these solutions truly reach the people.” Peter Speyer from Novartis Foundation emphasized: “We need to work across sectors and countries to accelerate the use of data and analytics for improving population health and tackling health inequities at their root.” Estonia’s experience in building a more unified and accessible data ecosystem was recognized as an inspiring example.

What can Switzerland and Estonia learn from each other?

Switzerland has been a global leader in innovation for 14 years in a row and continues to invest in R&D, which allows it to attract the best talent for its ecosystem. As a digital pioneer and leader in the world, Estonia shares many of these values and emphasizes the importance of trust in partnerships.

Tarmo Kiivit passionately highlighted that Estonia did not create entirely new systems; instead, it effectively integrated existing elements into a cohesive, forward-thinking model. The focus lies in execution, alignment, and sustained consistency over time. Having lived in a digital society for over 20 years, Estonia possesses two decades of real-world insights, iterative improvements, and valuable lessons in digital governance and health innovation. “Making those decisions over two decades ago required real courage and vision, enabling us to develop the future of healthcare technologies faster,” added Katrina Laks.

The discussion made it clear that both countries have much to gain from closer collaboration—by learning from one another and working together, they can strengthen their efforts across all dimensions of digital health innovation.

GOOD TO KNOW 

Estonian delegation at Swiss Biotech Day 2025

• The Estonian Delegation’s presence at Swiss Biotech Day 2025 in Basel marked a powerful statement of intent, Estonia, to connect, collaborate, and co-create the future of biotech, pharma, and digital health.
• Representing the country at the Global Village with its own national booth, the Estonian delegation, led by Undersecretary Mariin Ratnik, brought together a diverse and forward-thinking group of companies and institutions, each contributing to Estonia’s growing influence in the biotech, pharma, and digital health sectors.
• The innovators who represented Estonia:
  • TBD Pharmatech: A trusted partner in pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing, offering tailored fine chemical development and production solutions.
  • Gearbox Biosciences: Pioneering antibiotic-free protein production technologies, enabling safer and more sustainable biomanufacturing.
  • Raumedic Estonia: Specializing in polymer-based solutions for medical and pharmaceutical applications, including products for intensive care.
  • Helmes: A world-class software development company delivering digital solutions across both private and public sectors.
  • Menken Trials: Transforming clinical trials through an AI-powered, tech-driven platform. A standout from the Tenity VC Swiss e-health accelerator program.
  • Lanmer: Offering innovative medical and laboratory equipment solutions, focusing on consultation-driven services to optimize workflows.
  • Migrevention: The world’s first fully digital headache clinic, redefining how primary headaches are managed through digital solutions.
  • Health Founders Estonia: A state-supported health technology and life sciences consortium that accelerates the growth of Estonia’s science-based technology industry and innovation ecosystem.
  • Tartu Biotechnology Park:  Leading Estonian innovation hub that supports the development of biotechnology, medicine, and health-tech companies through incubation, consulting, and international collaboration.

The delegation visit was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia and supported by Enterprise Estonia and Tartu Biotechnology Park.

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