On June 15, the scholarship recipients of the Ülo Pärnits Education Foundation were announced for the ninth time. Established in honor of Ülo Pärnits, the founder of Ülemiste City, the scholarship aims to promote lifelong and practical learning and to support research projects related to the development of Ülemiste City as a city of the future. The total size of the scholarship fund is up to €22,000 each year, financed by AS Mainor, AS Mainor Ülemiste, and KristoSten OÜ. 

For the 2025/2026 academic year, scholarship works were expected in the following fields: smart city governance; business models and innovation; community and health; environment and construction. 

The scholarships were awarded to: 

• The work by Pallas University of Applied Sciences students Trine Ots and Lisandra Pekkenen on improving user experience in conference rooms through design received a €2,000 scholarship. 
• The work “Biophilic and Intergenerational Future Office in Ülemiste City” by University of Tartu student Sandra Mesipuu received a €500 scholarship. 
• The work by TalTech students Merili Aitsam, Andra Palla, and Rica Tsirk on opening the shores of Lake Ülemiste and integrating the campus with its surroundings received a €3,000 scholarship. 
• The work “Smart city governance framework for a private-sector campus” by University of Tartu master’s student Defir Ilmi Faridha received a €500 scholarship. 
• The work by Estonian Academy of Arts master’s student Kumaraaditya Rao on how to make waiting for public transport an enjoyable experience in Ülemiste City received a €2,000 scholarship. 
• The work by University of Tartu students Liisi Kauber, Birgit Vajak, Henri Raaper, Eleanor Anijalg, Kaarel Leppsalu, and Rasmus Virkebau on Ülemiste City as a tourism destination and event hub (a 24/7 campus) received a €2,000 scholarship. 
• The work “Comparison of Ülemiste City with international smart campuses” by University of Tartu students Sireliis Vilu, Henry Aas, Magnus Traks, and Hannes Arumäe received a €4,000 scholarship. 
• The work “Playground fence design: fish” by Pallas University of Applied Sciences students Dariia Ruda and Kristi Ivanov received a €2,000 scholarship. 

In addition, the scholarship fund supports entrepreneurial students and lecturers of the Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences who contribute to the development of the campus or the Mainor Group. 

We thank all scholarship recipients, nominees, and supervisors. In the new academic year, Ülemiste City will announce the themes for the tenth program cycle, which will soon be available here.