Nordic-Baltic Mobility Network for AI-Enabled Flexibility, EVs, and Battery Storage in Renewable Energy Systems
NORD-FLEX is a Nordic-Baltic research, mobility and knowledge-exchange project connecting UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), and Reykjavik University. The project strengthens skills and collaboration in AI-enabled energy flexibility, renewable energy integration, electric vehicles, battery storage, and digital energy systems. It supports these goals through PhD and researcher mobility, joint supervision, summer schools, workshops, and dissemination activities.
Northern and Arctic communities, Baltic energy systems, and renewable-rich island systems face shared challenges in integrating variable renewable generation, electric-vehicle charging, battery storage, and increasingly digital energy infrastructure. Cold climates, remote locations, seasonal demand peaks, and infrastructure constraints make flexibility, resilience, and effective energy management especially important. Relevant expertise is distributed across institutions and disciplines. NORD-FLEX addresses this challenge by connecting complementary capabilities in energy technologies, artificial intelligence, and data-driven digital systems through sustained research mobility and collaboration.
Objective
The overall objective is to establish a durable Nordic-Baltic mobility and training network that strengthens research capacity and cross-border cooperation in sustainable energy solutions for Arctic, Baltic, and island contexts. The project will connect research on physical energy infrastructure with AI-enabled energy management and digital data systems, enabling PhD students and researchers to access complementary expertise, supervision, methods, and research environments.
Planned activities include five extended PhD mobility stays, researcher exchanges, joint supervision, two physical summer schools, a workshop hosted by Reykjavik University, digital seminars, stakeholder engagement, joint scientific publications, and preparation of future collaborative research proposals.
FinEst Centre’s Role in the project
TalTech is a formal NORD-FLEX consortium partner and contributes expertise in AI-enabled energy management, flexibility, optimisation, and renewable energy-system operation.
The approved project application envisages stakeholder engagement through various activities. FinEst Centre is not listed as a separate funded project partner in the approved consortium.
Sustainability and responsibility
NORD-FLEX aims to support the transition to more flexible, resilient, and sustainable renewable energy systems by strengthening research competence and long-term Nordic-Baltic cooperation. Sustainability will be pursued through joint supervision, reusable training materials, continuing seminars and researcher networks, joint publications, stakeholder relationships, and follow-on funding proposals. The project connects technical expertise in AI, renewables, EVs, and battery storage with digital infrastructure and data analytics, so that knowledge developed through mobility can be shared and reused across partner institutions.
The consortium also aims to support inclusive participation and gender balance, with transparent mobility opportunities and attention to equal access to training and collaboration.
Duration and partners
Duration: October 2026 – September 2030
Partners:
Funding
Funding source: Nordic Energy Research, VNF20650
Total project funding: NOK 4,297,500 for the full project period
TalTech allocation: NOK 1,395,000
