Unlocking European Funding

​​Unlocking European Funding is a practical, founder friendly session for healthtech startups, researchers, and early innovators who want to understand how European funding really works and how to apply successfully.

​​If you have ever wondered which programme fits your stage, what evaluators actually look for, or how to turn a great idea into a strong proposal, this session will give you a clear starting point and actionable next steps. Expect concise expert guidance, real examples, and honest founder perspectives, followed by networking and lunch.

​​This session is especially useful if you are new to EU funding or writing your first proposal. You will learn how to find the right European funding programme, how to structure a compelling application, what common mistakes to avoid, and how to increase your chances of success. We will also hear real founder experiences from proposal submissions and what they would do differently next time.

​​Agenda:

​​09:45–10:00 Arrivals and coffee

​​10:00–10:30 Funding opportunities for healthtech startups in the EU by Reesi Lepa (Civitta)

​​10:30–11:00 Best practices for writing successful healthtech grants by Reesi Lepa (Civitta), Karin Kogermann (EsaDres), Marge Vaikjärv (Tallinn University)

​​11:00–11:30 Founders’ experience stories from application to submission by Karin Kogermann (EsaDres), Kerli Luks (Muun Health) and Karl Õkva (Thorgate)

​​11:30–12:30 Networking and lunch

​​The event is in English and on-site. Register now, as the seats are limited.

​​The event is organised by Health Founders Estonia (HFE) and Tehnopol and funded by the European Union through Enterprise Estonia.

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​​About the speakers:

​​Reesi Lepa, Partner at Civitta. Reesi is an expert in R&D and innovation ecosystem programmes with 15 years of experience in research, technology, and innovation policy, supporting organisations and teams in building strong funding strategies and proposals.

​​Marge Vaikjärv, Project Advisor and ASTRA+ Project Coordinator at Tallinn University. Marge has over 7 years of experience in research and healthcare innovation, with expertise spanning healthcare management, medical device regulation, quality management systems, and proposal development for European funding programmes.

​​Karin Kogermann, CEO and Co Founder of EsaDres and Professor at the University of Tartu. Karin is a pharmaceutical scientist and academic leader with over 15 years of experience in pharmaceutical sciences and research-driven innovation. She has led and contributed to multiple research and innovation projects.

​​Kerli Luks, CEO of Muun Health. Kerli is a physician and healthtech entrepreneur who combines clinical perspective with startup execution, including first-hand experience from a Horizon Europe proposal submission and multiple funded projects from EIS.

​​Karl Õkva, Managing Partner and Head of Quality at Thorgate. Karl brings founder perspective and experience from international cooperation programmes like Interreg and Eurostars and has 10 years of experience leading software and hardware development across 1000h+ projects in e-health, Industry 4.0, Greentech and various others.