Evaluation is an external evaluation of the research and development activities of a legal person or institution. As a result of the evaluation, an assessment is given of the level of the research and development field in comparison with internationally recognised criteria, taking into account the objectives set by the founder in the field of research and development.
The results of the evaluation, as well as the assessments and recommendations given, are public.
The detailed conditions and procedure for applying for, organising and confirming the results of the evaluation are established by a regulation of the minister responsible for the field of research and development.
Application for and conduct of evaluation
Evaluation may be applied for by legal persons and institutions whose principal activity is research and development (basic or applied research, or experimental development). The applicant must have the capacity to disseminate results (through teaching, publishing or knowledge transfer), a sufficient number of R&D staff, and appropriate facilities and infrastructure.
Evaluation is conducted in rounds at deadlines established by the ministry and not less frequently than once every four years (counted from the previous round).
The ministry responsible for the field of research and development verifies whether the application meets the established requirements. If the requirements are not fulfilled, the application is not considered.
As a general rule, the costs of evaluation are borne by the applicant. The ministry covers the costs where the evaluated entity is an institution within the ministry’s area of administration or a public-law legal person.
The evaluation is carried out by an evaluation committee composed of external experts and formed by ETAG. The committee includes recognised scientists in their respective fields who have experience in the evaluation of research and development. The minister responsible for the field of research and development makes the final positive or negative evaluation decision on the basis of the reasoned proposal of the evaluation committee.
Validity of the evaluation decision
A positive evaluation decision remains valid until the next evaluation decision is confirmed, but not longer than seven years.
If the conditions for evaluation are no longer met, or in other cases provided by law, the minister responsible for the field of research and development may initiate an additional evaluation.
Detailed provisions on the validity of evaluation decisions and additional evaluations are laid down in the Organisation of Research and Development Act.
The following table lists the institutions that have a valid positive evaluation decision.
Positively evaluated R&D institutions
| Research performing organisation | Field of research evaluated | Date of decision approval |
| AS TFTAK | natural sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| Celvia CC AS | natural sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| Cybernetica AS | natural sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| Geological Survey of Estonia | natural sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| Institute of the Estonian Language | arts and humanities | 23.05.2025 |
| Estonian Literary Museum | arts and humanities | 23.05.2025 |
| Estonian Academy of Arts | arts and humanities | 23.05.2025 |
| engineering and technology | 23.05.2025 | |
| Estonian University of Life Sciences | natural sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| engineering and technology | 23.05.2025 | |
| agricultural and veterinary sciences | 23.05.2025 | |
| Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre | arts and humanities | 23.05.2025 |
| Estonian National Museum | arts and humanities | 23.05.2025 |
| Estonian Business School | social sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| Icosagen Cell Factory OÜ | medical and health sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| Estonian Military Academy | social sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics | natural sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| engineering and technology | 23.05.2025 | |
| medical and health sciences | 23.05.2025 | |
| Centre of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge | agricultural and veterinary sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| Protobios OÜ | medical and health sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| STACC OÜ | natural sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| Tallinn University of Technology | natural sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| engineering and technology | 23.05.2025 | |
| medical and health sciences | 23.05.2025 | |
| agricultural and veterinary sciences | 23.05.2025 | |
| social sciences | 23.05.2025 | |
| arts and humanities | 23.05.2025 | |
| Tallinn University | natural sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| social sciences | 23.05.2025 | |
| arts and humanities | 23.05.2025 | |
| University of Tartu | natural sciences | 23.05.2025 |
| engineering and technology | 23.05.2025 | |
| medical and health sciences | 23.05.2025 | |
| agricultural and veterinary sciences | 23.05.2025 | |
| social sciences | 23.05.2025 | |
| arts and humanities | 23.05.2025 | |
| National Institute for Health Development | medical and health sciences | 23.05.2025 |
