VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTL #0368/01 2981440
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241440Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY TALLINN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0877
INFO RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 5299
RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA 2998
RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 6744
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

UNCLAS TALLINN 000368 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EEB/CBA, EEB/CIP AND EUR/NB 
HELSINKI FOR SCO MCCLEARY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD BEXP AMGT ABUD BTIO EINV EN
SUBJECT:  TALLINN'S BFIF FY08 REPORT 
 
REF: A) STATE 72175 
 B) TALLINN 212 
 C) TALLINN 359 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Embassy Tallinn received USD 6,500 
from the Business Facilitation Incentive Fund (BFIF) 
to bring three leading U.S. science and technology 
parks representatives to the international innovation 
conference "Baltic Dynamics 2008", held in Tartu, 
Estonia September 3-5, 2008.  The U.S. speakers had 
two days of meetings in Tallinn with hi-tech start up 
firms, and addressed over 250 participants of the 
conference in Tartu.  The event furthered post's MSP 
goal of promoting economic growth and prosperity, 
through encouraging bilateral cooperation on science 
and technology.  Post used 4,754.85 USD for the 
project and returns 1,745.15 to BFIF.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) In early 2008, Post had consultations with the 
Enterprise Estonia Silicon Valley office 
representative Andrus Viirg and Tallinn Technology 
Park (Tehnopol) representative Raivo Tamkivi about 
bringing U.S. experts to the 2008 Baltic Dynamics 
Conference (BDC).  BDC is an annual conference of 
technology parks and business incubators which rotates 
among the three Baltic countries.  Viirg and Tamkivi 
agreed to recruit senior representatives from the 
Silicon Valley Market Access Center, and Research 
Triangle Park, NC.  As both organizations are well 
known and in high demand worldwide to speak at such 
conferences, Post applied for BFIF funds to cover some 
of the travel costs associated with attendance at the 
conference in Tartu by these U.S. experts.  To 
maximize their visit to Estonia, we also worked with 
Enterprise Estonia and Tehnopol to schedule separate 
meetings with select Estonian hi-tech start-up 
companies located at the Tehnopol Technology Park in 
Tallinn.  We arranged with the organizers of Baltic 
Dynamics 2008 to include the BFIF-funded guests as 
speakers, giving them the opportunity to address the 
more than 250 conference attendees.  Following 
approval from EEB/CBA, we confirmed the participation 
of Mr. Weddle, CEO of Research Triangle Park, Chuck 
Erickson, CEO of the San Jose, CA Market Access Center 
(MAC) in Silicon Valley and Omar Mencin, Managing 
Director of the MAC. 
 
¶3. (SBU)   Breakdown of expenses: 
 
USD 2,239.57  Grant to Rick Weddle, CEO of Research 
Triangle Park, NC to cover the cost of 
his airfare 
USD 70.17 Rent of a meeting room in Radisson hotel 
on 09/03 
USD 1,767.57  Lodging of the U.S. participants in 
Tallinn 
USD 431.81  Lodging of the U.S. participants in 
Tartu 
USD 245.73  Travel costs of Econ/Commercial/EU 
Assistant Reene Sepp to the conference 
in Tartu 
 
Total:  USD 4,754.85 
 
Post leveraged money with the Silicon Valley MAC 
representatives to cover their own airfare as they 
were already traveling to Helsinki, Finland prior to 
the conference. 
 
¶4. (U) The 2008 Baltic Dynamics Conference attracted 
significant high-level participation.  Estonian 
President, Toomas Hendrik Ilves gave the opening 
address.  This year over 250 people registered from 
over 20 countries, including China, Mexico, and 
Russia. 
 
The conference focused upon the following main topics: 
 
- The Global Context for Innovation: Discussions on 
recent developments in major world markets; 
- Environment and Energy: Relevant approaches and 
case studies on how current developments, 
challenges and constraints in environment and 
energy sectors can stimulate innovation in a 
broad range of companies and public sector 
organizations; 
- Science and Technology Parks: Novel and 
 
innovative approaches on the changing role of 
science and technology parks; 
- Security, the Internet and Innovation: Relevant 
case studies on how the problems and challenges 
related to security and Internet can stimulate 
innovation and strengthen the competitiveness of 
companies. 
 
Rick Weddle spoke on the new generation of science and 
technology parks.  Omar Mencin gave a presentation on 
the importance of marketing new products, and Mr. 
Chuck Erickson spoke on "The business incubator as a 
soft landing zone."  All presentations are available 
online at: www.teaduspark.ee/?q=/eng/BD 
 
¶5. (U) The organizers of Baltic Dynamics 2008 were 
very grateful to Post for our support of this year's 
conference.  As Estonian companies are increasingly 
interested in the U.S. market, all lectures led by 
U.S. speakers were well attended.  Our contributions 
to this event complimented well the spring 2008 visits 
by EEB/CIP DAS David Gross to Tallinn (Ref B) and by 
Estonian Minister of Economy Juhan Parts to Silicon 
Valley, which had focused on enhancing technology 
cooperation between Estonia and the United States, and 
business-to-business linkages.  Our U.S. guests 
benefited from the company meetings in Tallinn and 
Tartu outside of the BDC framework, as they provided 
an overview of rising hi-tech stars in Estonia.  (Ref 
C)  Representatives of some of the companies are now 
considering opening offices at U.S. science parks.  In 
some cases, the meetings helped to dispel notions of 
how easy it is to break into the world market, even 
with an innovative product, thereby helping to focus 
Estonian entrepreneurs' efforts where they will have 
the most impact.  This event also furthered post's MSP 
goal of promoting economic growth and prosperity, 
through encouraging bilateral cooperation on science 
and technology.  Post will continue contact with all 
U.S. participants for further cooperation. 
 
¶6.  Back-up documentation on expenditures will be 
faxed to Gale Gray, EEB/EX 
 
¶7.  Point of Contact at Post:  Economic Officer Robert 
Hollister, ph: +372-668-8107, HollisterRM@state.gov. 
Post appreciates the support of EEB/CBA and EEB/EX for 
these projects. 
 
PHILLIPS