International cooperation with NATO
The Ministry of Defence supports the active participation of Estonian researchers and Defence Forces experts in various activities of the NATO Research & Technology Organisation (RTO), one important output of which is the cooperation network and information exchange with the top researchers and leading experts in military research.

The activities of NATO RTO are area-specific, thus national participation is determined by practical interest in the results of the specific workgroup, as well as by ability to contribute to the work of the corresponding workgroup.

Estonian representatives in the NATO RTO panels and the NURC:
Human Factor and Medicine (HFM) – Prof. Jaanus Harro (University of Tartu)
Systems Concepts and Integration (SCI) – Prof. Leo Mõtus (Tallinn University of Technology)
Sensors & Electronics Technology (SET) – Dr. Priit Sarv (National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics)
Information Systems Technology (IST) – LCDR Mari-Anne Meister (Estonian Navy)
NATO Modelling and Simulation Group (NMSG) – LTC Paul Indrek Rajamäe-Volmer (Estonian National Defence College
NATO Undersea Research Centre (NURC) – Dr. Tarmo Kõuts (Tallinn University of Technology)

In the meetings of the NATO Research and Technology Board (RTB), Estonia is represented by the officials of the Procurement Department of the Ministry of Defence.

Additional information: www.rto.nato.int    www.nurc.nato.int


International cooperation with the European Defence Agency (EDA)
The objective of the R&T activities within the European Defence Agency is to promote and launch joint research and technology projects and programmes between the EU Member States in order to share experiences, avoid mutual duplication and reduce costs. Through the European Defence Agency, Estonian research institutions and enterprises are given the opportunity to cooperate with the European partners in order to find scientific and practical solutions for the problems in the area of defence and security.

In the R&T meetings of the European Defence Agency, Estonia is represented by the officials of the Procurement Department of the Ministry of Defence, as well as researchers from the leading research and development institutions in Estonia.

Estonian representatives in the EDA experts’ groups:
IAP2 (RF Sensor Systems & Signal Processing) – Dr. Priit Sarv (National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics)
IAP4 (Command Information System & Networks) – Prof. Leo Mõtus (Tallinn University of Technology)
ESM4 (Human Factors & CBR Protection) – Prof. Jaanus Harro (University of Tartu)

Additional information: www.eda.europa.eu

Research and development cooperation between the Baltic states
Cooperation with Latvia and Lithuania has so far taken place in two fields: regular mutual information exchange and organisation of joint events for introducing R&T project outcomes. In the near future, it is planned to map the areas of common interest and requirments for implementation of Baltic cooperation projects.