The video game developer, famous for its series, “The Witcher," has single-handedly turned the Polish gaming industry into a high-tech powerhouse and a global tool of cultural influence.
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In the past, people were grateful if there was a qualified doctor in their town or village. These days, it is doctors who are grateful for 5-star reviews.
We all know the success stories of companies that started in garages. Průša Research's story is similar to those of other multimillion-dollar companies. From humble garage beginnings in 2012 to the second-largest 3D printer manufacturer in the world.
Veriff, the company founded in 2015 by the 27-year-old prodigy Kaarel Kotkas, provides technology that enables online identification through a simple selfie and is quickly taking over new markets.
Hungarian company Tresorit grabbed the world's attention in 2013 when it offered hackers a $50,000 prize to the person who could break the layers of defenses protecting their startup. After a year and a half, nobody had cracked the new end-to-end encryption service.
Croatian car manufacturer Rimac Automobili launched in 2009 intending to make the world’s fastest cars and has been leaving the competition in the dust ever since. The wunderkind behind the company, Mate Rimac, has no intention of slowing down now.
For such a small country that relatively recently regained its independence, Estonia and its space ambitions reach impressively high within clearly defined specializations.
Printify has spearheaded the quickly growing print-on-demand market, helping regular people to become merchants selling unique products while avoiding storage costs and risks associated with unsold inventory.
Is hearing the only way one can enjoy sound? No. Latvian startup Stapes is working on a sophisticated piece of tech to allow people to feel it through their bones. This multi-sensory experience brings deep relaxation.
Pixel Federation is a game developer and publisher of free-to-play mobile games. The company has been one of the biggest in the gaming industry, producing several games that have attracted 140 million gamers worldwide.
In order to develop, Central Europe needs nothing more than innovation. Countries of the region are more and more aware of that.
Family-run Diplomat Dental isn't just your run-of-the-mill dental equipment manufacturer. Quite the contrary, they are using their vast experience to push the boundaries of innovation when it comes to production processes and creating some unexpected partnerships in the meantime.
"Hi, you have given me life, and now my role is to represent you like a mirror!" echoed across Romania's Government chambers. This came not from a movie but from the introduction of the government's new honorary assistant, named ION, which is a not-so-simple AI system tasked with gathering data from citizens and voicing their thoughts.
The most promising resource of Belarus is rapidly and dramatically shrinking. Already, tens of thousands of Belarusian specialists, IT professionals, and programmers have applied for visas under Poland's Business Harbor program.
No restriction plaques here. Interactive and futuristic, the Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw is a paradise for science enthusiasts, kids, and adults alike! Increasingly popular, it provides direct contact with scientific achievements.
It seems that flying drones have reached their optimal shape when it comes to the control and the propulsion systems consisting of four or more rotors. Is there anything else that could be invented in this regard?
Flying cars might seem like the stuff of dreams - or science fiction movies. However, the reality of seeing one in the skies near you is far closer that you might imagine.
While appearing discreet from the outside, Černopolní Street Number 45 is a breathtaking engineering jewel of the 20th Century and is considered the first smart home. It even is on the UNESCO list!
For a long time, little was known about the Slovak inventor of the parachute, whose life reveals a fascinating story almost forgotten.
Romania is the neighbor with such fast Wi-Fi you wish you could borrow their password. Ironically, it's also still a country overly reliant on actual paperwork due to a lack of digital enterprises and services.
We've all had that moment on an open stretch of highway when the speed starts creeping up. Luckily, these days we've got handy speedometers to help us avoid awkward meetings with the local police officers. You can thank Croatian inventor Josip Belušić for that.
What do you get when you gather a team of students from Czech Technical University who are passionate about autonomous systems, speed, and innovation? Electrically powered autonomous Formula.
Latvian startup Aerones has taken on the challenge of introducing robotic solutions to servicing wind turbines, which constitute an important renewable solution for the future. The product has gained widespread attention.
Have you ever forgotten your Facebook password? You probably changed it via SMS confirmation using the service created by Infobip. How did this Croatian start-up become a unicorn in digital communication?
The biotech industry has always been one of the most promising fields in the Lithuanian economy. But the growth it has experienced in the last decade was unexpected for everyone. Since 2010 it has grown tenfold and now contributes around 2.5% to the country's GDP.
The American-Slovak startup Tachyum is developing the world's first Universal Processor, which promises to speed up data processing and AI learning and help construct a new supercomputer in Slovakia.
Lithuanian lasers are very well-known worldwide, with an estimated 10% of world scientific lasers made in the country. This is the story of how a small country has become a powerhouse in innovative laser technology.
If only camping trips weren’t so challenging… Latvia’s BeTriton has a solution! Their amphibious electric vehicle allows crossing terrain and water at ease and eliminates the need to pitch a tent at night.
Cyberpunk 2077, a Triple-A class title, created by Polish company CD Project Red, has become a worldwide success with over 14 million copies sold. It’s only one of a number of titles created by companies in the 3Seas region taking the world by storm.
Organs-on-a-chip are not a thing of nightmares. Quite the contrary, Latvian startup, Cellbox Labs, is pioneering a way for this smart technology to revolutionize drug discovery.
One of the most ambitious geopolitical projects of our time is getting closer to completion. Investment in communications infrastructure, which is the very foundation of the development of the Three Seas Initiative, is gaining the highest priority.
It started innocently enough. The first presentations of an autonomous land drone designed by the Estonian company Milrem showed a vehicle capable of carrying wounded and supplies. Meanwhile, THeMIS grew claws and saw real combat.
The history of Leo Sternbach, the inventor of benzodiazepines, including Valium, is as Central European as it gets, requiring mention of about half a dozen of countries from the area.
Croatia’s Višnjan Observatory is the most successful in the world when it comes to looking out for asteroids that could possibly crash into Earth.
Saving lives since 2016, Záchranka started as a bachelor's thesis idea and became a fully-functional mobile app interconnected with rescue service systems.
Poland is taking steps to position Central Eastern Europe in pole position ahead of the coming competition for market shares in a new sector of the economy.
Optimatik, a startup from Wrocław, aims to make the most out of the logistics industry’s transition to smart solutions. Its product is aimed at helping coordination between human and robot-run devices in facilities by tracking their movement through a 5G network.
The Czech Republic stands at a critical crossroads for the future of train transport. While some dream of high-speed rail, others fear for the survival of trains. Will the Czechs get their TGV?
Important inventions in military weapons are often created during wars, but the Croatian invention of the torpedo has a different story, one of the desire to defend. How did the torpedo revolutionize sea warfare?
The digitalization and development of the Internet have created a new operational domain – cyberspace, vulnerable to hostile actions that only a few countries are prepared to repel. One of them is Estonia.
Slovakia has a tradition of constructing self-propelled Howitzers mounted on car wheels. The current model, Zuzana 2, is an upgrade to a 50-year-old tradition of Howitzer-making and is one of the most modern of its kind in the world currently in use.
An innovative student project aimed to bring Brno online, and it succeeded. Not only can you roam the city, but you can also build in it! All thanks to a group of students and Minecraft.
Estonia is currently testing an online writing tool to speed up the transcription of court sessions. Available to both in-person and online sessions, Salme can accurately write down who said what in the courtroom. Its potential is promising.
God created man; Sam Colt made them equal. Now, the legendary American Colt manufacturer belongs to a Czech company. With this acquisition, Czechs are currently at the global top of gun manufacturing.
For 50 years, the Polish company Melex has been creating EVs, which sell like hot cakes all over the world - long before electric vehicles became fashionable.
An Austrian company has created a GPS tracker that can be placed on the collars of cats and dogs to bring more safety to pet owners. The smart design of the product switches between satellite and WiFi connection to provide a constant location online.
Many most critically acclaimed games were developed in 2022 by Central and Eastern European GameDev studios. What makes them unique are the ideas, the audio-visual design, the technology, and the fresh, inspiring touch.
Necessity is the mother of all inventions. And sometimes, it literally takes a mother to invent an ingenious prop that makes parenting that little bit easier and goes viral. Meet Szumisie.
Carebot is on the way to implementing AI suggestions into CXS and MMG screenings in hospitals in Czechia. Led by two young enthusiasts, it stepped in at a crucial time to account for the need for innovations in healthcare with an offer of promising conduct.
An experiment in testing a fourth brake light in the front of the car, in between lights, is currently underway. The aim is to increase traffic and pedestrian safety to decrease casualties of pedestrians and drivers.
Most of the Three Seas Countries are considered to be emerging innovators by the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). Which ones are they, and what does it mean? Are there any strong innovators among us?
The Hungarian-born startup Colossyan has been developing AI-generated media production, run by AI and machine learning, in a less well-known field of innovation. Its product offers the use of clients’ avatars in video footage.
One Romanian start-up aims to charge your vehicle up to 80% in 10 minutes, making long
distance travel possible, first in Romania and then throughout the rest of Central and Eastern
Europe.
The “Romanian SUV” took over the world in the mid-90s. What followed was a success story that made a hit around the globe and put Romania on the map of the automobile world, only to disappear into thin air less than 50 years later.
Warsaw-based startup Tylko has been promoting its D2C (direct-to-consumer) model in the furniture industry. The model is supported by software that allows for a virtual fitting of the desired furniture into existing rooms and facilities.
Czechia is an aviation superpower. It's one of a handful of countries worldwide that can manufacture an entire airplane – from nose to tail. And Czech aviators and pilots are mighty proud of it.
The issue of atomic energy for Poland is accelerating. Three major players – reactors manufacturers - were fighting for the contract to build Poland's first power plant. The showdown between them was as if modeled on the Game of Thrones intrigues.
The second largest island in Croatia is the home of the town of Pučišća. I know – it most probably doesn’t tell you anything. And it should, as its quarry has been supplying the world with marble for centuries.
A Slovenian-based high-tech startup has been developing a complex and self-learning driving test simulator with the aim of measuring conscious and unconscious driver behavior features to make driving safer and more inclusive.
The Ruse-Varna railway line, the original final stretch of Europe’s Orient Express, is about to be modernized, benefiting Bulgaria, the EU, and the Three Seas Initiative.
Matsuko is a Slovak startup that offers a unique experience of communicating through holograms. The application they developed creates holograms of actual persons who can communicate in a virtual space and encounter each other as if it was real.
The unique technological project of a garbage disposal ship offers a new solution to ocean pollution.
The Lithuanian medical startup Oxipit has harnessed AI and Machine Learning into radiology. By scanning and analyzing chest radiographs (CXRs), ChestEye and ChestLink, the apps detect pulmonary module signs of pneumothorax and other lung diseases.
Doesn’t it seem that whenever you get sick, there never are any appointments available? Doctor.One, a Polish start-up, developed a unique solution to this problem. So much so that it is heavily invested in, and its future is painted in bright colors.
Next year, Czechia will celebrate 45 years since the first Czech entered space. Even though the country is not a space superpower, it has plans for a base on the Moon. And a lot more!
Computer games are much more than just a childish pleasure. In the case of Czechia, it is a 250-million-Euro industry making the country famous worldwide.
The Czech City for the Future project shows one options of how people will live in 2050. The goal is to make every city a living organism rather than a sea of concrete buildings.
In 1923, Romanian engineer Aurel Persu concluded that aerodynamics played an important role not just up in the air but down on earth, too. By introducing wheels inside a car's frame, he successfully built the very first aerodynamic vehicle.
Have you ever seen a drone? People use them for taking photos, videotaping, or just for the simple fun of flying. But how about a drone postman or drone firefighter? Just Czech inventions.
A new Slovak startup, DNA ERA, generates unique insights from DNA saliva extracts. Whereas most businesses that conduct DNA analysis offer information about family history, DNA ERA looks at hereditary diseases, physical aptitudes, optimal nutrition, and other clues stored in our DNA.
Koffeco, a sustainably-minded science-based startup from Latvia, sees spent coffee grounds as a resource. The team transforms organic waste into new products, contributing to a circular economy.
The Czech family-run startup Ullmanna is one of few to have developed an AI machine for agriculture. The flagship product, an intra-row weeding machine called NEWMAN, removes weeds manually faster than you can even spot them.
For the past eight years, a Polish inventor, Łukasz Koźlik, has been fulfilling his dream of building a robot that he hopes will eventually become our best housework buddy.
“FBI, open up!” We’ve all seen films where a team of armed law-enforcement officers storms a bad-guy hideout – usually all dressed up with the characteristic, bullet-proof vests. These vests have their own history, the origins of which can be traced back to a Polish inventor.
His ideas have been used by the world's biggest car companies. The dashing Bulgarian inventor and entrepreneur Roumen Antonov made waves in the automotive world with his avant-garde ideas and daring technical solutions.
This anti-virus service has been leading the cybersecurity market for over 21 years – and I bet you had no idea it was a Romanian company that provided it. Bitdefender was Romania’s first ever IT start-up and the world’s leader in cybersecurity. And it all started by accident.
It lives in the Dinaric Alps, or to be precise rather below them. Its looks are those of an alien, and it has supernatural powers. As if that weren’t enough - it never gets old. Meet the Slovenian human fish.
Scientists around the world are sounding alarm bells about the dwindling number of bees. With this in mind, Latvian startup BeeSage has created a monitoring system to give beekeepers the tools and information they need to ensure their hives can thrive.
Standing on the street corner, you see a car pass next to you on the road. With a glance, you see a winged arrow logo - a clear sign of a car manufactured by Škoda, an automotive company based in Czechia, which sells cars across the globe.
Have you ever wondered why there is the same word for a tourist bus and a person who trains athletes? There is a good reason, and it comes straight from a small village in Hungary.
Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death, according to WHO (2020). Powerful Medical, a new Slovak startup, hopes to reduce these deaths by introducing an AI-based diagnostic tool that detects cardiovascular conditions and provides recommendations tailored to patients' needs.
S.A.W.E.R. is a strange, shipping container-looking device that works miracles. What is this miracle, you ask? Well, it creates water from desert air! That's pretty miraculous; what do you say? And it gets even better: it runs on solar energy!
Czechia is known around the world for its gorgeous landscape, tasty food, and... beer(!), but a not-quite-as-obvious fact is that Czechs have been blazing trails in science for centuries. We've picked four innovative achievements with Czech origins that deserve recognition.
Thanks to massive advancements in technology, distance is becoming less and less important. In April 2021, a group of doctors from Lublin became the first in Europe to bring surgery to a realm so far only imagined in science-fiction novels.
Laser beams from a small Central Eastern European country are beginning to reach the farthest corners of the world. How did Lithuania become a giant in the laser industry, and how have their lasers become such an export hit, playing a significant in their economy?
It seemed that the European Bison was one of those extinct species that used to live also in Slovakia. However, it has recently been successfully reintroduced to the Poloniny National Park, which makes it one of few places in Europe where it lives in the wild today.
This former part of the Soviet Empire is known for being one of the most digitally-advanced societies globally. It was the first to offer the possibility of sending votes via the internet.
Quantum physics is not the most intuitive of scientific disciplines. The group of people who can grasp its essence is quite elite and includes a large proportion of Polish scientists. Will Polish scientists trigger a long-awaited quantum revolution?
Today, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are the most vulnerable members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Would these countries be able to defend themselves against threats from the east?
The countries of Central and Eastern Europe are the most dependent on coal-fired energy production among the countries of the European Union. How can this weakness be turned into an opportunity?
In just three years, Romanian cyber-security start-up TypingDNA took over the world and was listed by FinTechGlobal in their CyberTech100 ranking - twice. Who are they, what do they do, and how do they do it?
Creating telecommunication connections and innovative digital solutions is the key to the success of the 3 Seas Initiative (3SI) - the most important geopolitical project of our times. Latvia's rotating chairmanship of the 3SI begins in 2022. And this is a good thing.
Jaan Tallinn did not just create Kazaa and Skype; he could also save humanity from terminators.
One of Uber’s main rivals started off modestly, but quickly turned its creator into Europe’s youngest founder of a billion-dollar company.
The digitalization of battlefields has already become a reality. To conduct effective operations, every army needs situational awareness on both strategic and tactical levels. What if we could also monitor soldiers' medical condition in the middle of battle?
The number of startups-turned-unicorns from behind the former Iron Curtain is exploding.
The sidewalks of Tallinn bustle with people going about their daily lives. They are also full of adorable, 6-wheeled delivery robots ferrying take-out and groceries to hungry patrons. A strange sight to some, here, it's just a part of daily life.
The Three Seas Initiative project will be crucial to the integration of 5G communication in the region.