Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo signed the decision to appoint the new Supervisory Board of AS Metrosert.
The new members will be neurobiologist and President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences Mart Saarma, Seth Lackman, Head of technology company Fujitsu Estonia, Jana Salm, Head of special packaging company Nefab Packaging. Among the former members, the physicist and materials scientist Madis Raukas and Sigrid Rajalo, Head of the Innovation and Technology Department of the Ministry of Education and Science, who was also confirmed as the Chairperson of the Board, will continue.
According to Erkki Keldo, Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry, the Applied Research Centre, AS Metrosert plays an important role in boosting the competitiveness of the Estonian economy, and he hopes that the new council will help to steer the company’s activities effectively.
“Estonian research institutions and higher education establishments carry out cutting-edge research and at the same time our manufacturing companies need innovative solutions to develop new products and bring them to market. The Centre for Applied Research will help science to reach industrial production, so that more higher added value can reach the market, which in turn will grow the economy, create wealth and high-wage jobs. We have already launched a biorefining strand, and drone technologies, autonomous vehicles, health data and hydrogen technologies are all on the horizon,” he said.
With the addition of Academician Mart Saarma to the Metrosert’s Council, the composition of the Council has been established and its role is to ensure the gradual start-up of the Applied Research Centre and the overall well-being of Metrosert as an organisation.
According to Sigrid Rajalo, Chairwoman of the Council, in order to break through the ‘glass ceiling’ of the Estonian economy, it is necessary for the state and companies to invest together in riskier development and innovation. “Innovative countries like ours have their own applied research centres, which face up to companies, partly take over some of the risky investments and offer companies both R&D services and cooperation. The same is expected of Metrosert. I am delighted that with a board of such good experts we can give impetus to this expectation.”
Metrosert is a strategically important company for Estonia and its role is to support the development of research and high-tech industry in Estonia. Metrosert, the Estonian Central Metrology Authority, maintains and develops the Estonian national metrology laboratories and started to build up a centre for applied research at the end of 2023. The company’s metrology services ensure the quality of Estonian products and services.