Topic: research

EFAK takes place August 29–30, 2024 in Tartu and is organised by the UT Philosophy Department.

Submission deadline: July 23, 2025 We invite submissions from scholars across disciplines interested in how laws and regulations are interpreted, implemented, and transformed in real-world institutional settings.

In collaboration with the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various partners at Stanford University, Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom has announced the 2026 Short-Term Research Fellowships for Estonian scholars. Two of the Stanford University Fellowships for Estonian Security and Foreign Policy Experts were awarded to researchers from the University of Tartu, semioticians Mari-Liis Madisson and Andreas Ventsel.

Call for applicants: Professor of Semiotics of Culture. Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics, University of Tartu, Estonia. The application deadline is 1 July 2025.

On 23 May 2025, Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas approved the results of the external evaluation of Estonian research and development. The University of Tartu was the only institution in Estonia to receive a positive evaluation in all six fields: natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, agriculture and veterinary sciences, social sciences, and humanities and the arts.

What do psychedelic experiences, sports leagues, AI language models, post-Soviet nostalgia, teenage rebellion musicals, and brand-driven slang have in common? Each reflects a facet of meaning-making in the contemporary world — and each was explored through the lens of semiotics during the master's thesis defences at the University of Tartu's Department of Semiotics on 30 May 2025.

We invite engaging presentations from all fields of research, delivered in clear language, in Estonian or English.

On Monday, 26 May 2025 at 16:15, Professor Emeritus of philosophy, Bengt Molander (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), will hold a colloquium. In his presentation, Molander will address alternative forms of knowledge that are often overlooked in standard epistemology. The colloquium is in English and takes place in Jakobi 2, room 336.

Estonian researchers have created the AI Barometer where users can compare the responses of language models and assess their proficiency in Estonian. Everyone is welcome to try out the barometer at baromeeter.ai. The researchers aim to collect at least 50,000 comparisons by the end of June.

Next academic year, the professorship of liberal arts will be held by poet, children’s author and prosaist Viivi Luik.