Between its EU presidency and Riga's year as European Capital of Culture, Latvia is not letting the festering stand-off between Russia and Ukraine dent its economic confidence. 

Tartu, Estonia's second city, has a small population but great ambitions to attract tech companies. Could it become the new testing lab of Europe? 

PartnerTech's 'industrial partnership' operating model means that the company has nothing to sell and focuses specifically on the products of other companies. Its CEO explains why oil and gas solutions and medical devices are its strongest fields, and how it is targeting China and North America.

The Finnish city of Tampere is finding that a firm focus on its strengths in research and technology, and close collaboration between business and its universities, is helping it to ride the tech wave as well as stabilise its local job market.

York is one of the most picturesque places in the UK, attracting tourists in their millions. However, there is more to the city than its heritage – it excels in the bio, financial and transport technology industries – and a soon-to-be-opened business park near the rail station will mean that those flocking to York will not necessarily be doing so to take photographs.

Encouraging and providing a base for innovative tech start-ups is an area in which Reykjavik has thrived. But given Iceland's small, isolated market, taking those companies to the next level has proved problematic. Improvements on this score are being made, however, as Courtney Fingar discovers.