Skip to main content
European Union flag
New European Bauhaus

Forum 2026

Forum 2026

Meet the speakers taking the stage at the Forum.

On stage and on livestream, they will present and discuss issues at the heart of New European Bauhaus, such as: how to transform the construction sector, the effect of social media on our society, how better to support new companies with sustainable products and services, and the role artistic and cultural industries have in promoting a more environmentally friendly future.

Speakers represent a cross-section of the people we need to reflect on real solutions, including high-level politicians, scientists and architects.

9 June - Programme

18:00-19:30

Opening Ceremony featuring official speeches from President Ursula von der Leyen, President Antonio Costa setting the stage for the days ahead

 

10 June - Programme

10:20-11:00

Building Europe’s future: Transforming the construction sector for a climate-neutral, circular and competitive economy

________________________________________________

11:05-11:55

Making use of what we have: Rethinking vacant and underused spaces

  • Eva De Bruyn - Partner at 514NE
  • Werner Möller - Lead at Reallabor ZEKIWA Zeitz
  • Veronika Valk-Siska - Former Chief Architect at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications
  • Sorcha Edwards - Secretary General of Housing Europe

________________________________________________

12:00-12:50

Resilient by design: Cutting carbon, cutting costs

  • Martin Skea - Co-founder and CEO of ToGatherHomes
  • Fleming Voetmann - Vice President of External Relations and Sustainibility at VELUX
  • Jan Wurm - Professor at KU Leuven and EU Engagement Lead at ARUP
  • Mila Duncheva - Global Business Project Manager at Stora Enso

________________________________________________

13:00-13:30

Concluding perspectives with Commissioner Dan Jørgensen 

________________________________________________

14:15-14:35

Introductory conversation between EC Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and EIC Board member Francesca Bria to kick off the afternoon sessions

  • Henna Virkkunen - Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
  • Francesca Bria - Former NEB HLRT Member and EIC Board member

________________________________________________

15:20-16:05

From feeds to streets: Social media, democracy, and the future of our cities

  • Léa Rogliano-Aubry - Head of the Citizen Engagement Hub at FARI
  • Carlo Ratti - Professor at MIT and Politecnico di Milano, founding partner of the CRA-Carlo Ratti Association and Director of the Senseable City Lab

________________________________________________

16:10-17:00

From research to reality: Evidence-based design for inclusive and nature-positive spaces

  • Markus Reymann - Director and Co-founder of TBA21–Academy (Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary – Academy)
  • Francesca Rizzo - Professor of Design and Expert in Service & Strategic Design at Politecnico di Milano
  • Mette Skjold - CEO and Senior Partner at SLA Architects
  • Lisa De Visscher -  Brussels Bouwmeester

________________________________________________

16:30-17:45

Keynote speaker: Culture-led urban transformation, partnership-driven change

________________________________________________

16:30-17:45

Future-Proofing Democracy: Resilience, Participation, and Citizen Agency

  • David Leal Garcia - Economist and Representative of the Innovation in Politics Institute in Spain

________________________________________________

17:05-17:15

Concluding Perspectives with Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva

________________________________________________

17:15-18:45

11 June - Programme

10:00-10:10

Introductory speech to kick off the day's discussions

  • Raffaele Fitto - Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion & Reforms 

__________________________________________________________

10:20-10:40

Keynote Speech

  • Anacláudia Rossbach - Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

__________________________________________________________

10:45-11:35

From participation to self-sufficiency: Designing democratic, climate-ready communities

__________________________________________________________

11:40-12:30

Strategic reconstruction in times of emergency: Lessons from Ukraine

  • Rūta Leitanaitė - Architect, curator; Coordinator of "UREHERIT" project; Chair of Task Force "Solidarity with Ukraine" at Architects Council of Europe
  • Oksana Arkhypchuk - Head of Promtech - Promprylad Foundation

__________________________________________________________

12:35-13:30

Open heritage: Accessibility, innovation and the future of cultural institutions 

  • Géraldine David - General Director of Royal Museum of Art and History
  • Eva Kraus - Director of the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn
  • Vasiliki Kassianidou - Deputy Minister for Culture

__________________________________________________________

14:30-14:50

Introductory speech to kick off the afternoon sessions

  • Enrico Giovannini - Economist, former Minister of Infrastructure and Mobility, and former Minister of Labour and Social Policies

__________________________________________________________

14:55-15:45

Investing in what truly matters: Scaling up the NEB market for competitive solutions in the built environment

  • Kika Zdziarska PhD - Laboratory of Wood Technology, University of Ghent
  • Christine Lemaitre - CEO at DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council)
  • Marcos Ros Sempere - Member of European Parliament
  • Dirk Paelink - Representative from the Real Estate and Construction sector, or from PropTech companies

__________________________________________________________

15:50-16:40

Growing the future: Investing in affordable, desirable bio-based solutions 

  • Ramona Daniela Dragomir - Climate Pact Ambassador and Principal Banker with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • Aksel Mjøs - Associate Professor and Head of Department at Norwegian School of Economics and NEB Facility Expert group member
  • Alessio Colombo - COO & CO-Founder of Ricehouse
  • Veronica Manfredi- Director, European Commission, Directorate-General ENV.C - Zero Pollution & Green Transition

__________________________________________________________

16:30-17:45

Landscape and biophilic architecture

  • Laurens Bekemans - Architect and Co-founder of BC architects & studies and BC materials
  • Michal Matlon - Architecture Psychologist & Space Strategist

________________________________________________

17:00-18:30

12 June - Programme

10:50-11:40

Clean transition for and through culture

  • Erminia Sciacchitano - Co-Chair of the EU Open Method of Coordination (OMC)
  • Joris Janssens - Expert at IDEA Consult and Board Member of Perform Europe
  • Dr. Sven Sappelt - Cultural scientist and curator at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn
  • Estelle Zhong Mengual - Art Historian, Author

__________________________________________________________

11:45-12:35

NEB Academy: How the NEB learns, tests, and scales

  • Andreja Kutnar - Professor at University of Primorska
  • Manuel Götzendörfer - Founder of UnternehmerTUM's Built Environment Unit
  • Ambra Trotto - Director of Transformation and NEB at EIT Culture & Creativity

__________________________________________________________

12:40-13:30

NEB Academy worldwide: Building skills, knowledge and alliances for a regenerative future

__________________________________________________________

14:30-14:45

Closing speech from Commissioner Jessika Roswall

  • Jessika Roswall - European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy

__________________________________________________________

14:45-14:55

Awards Ceremony: Trophy Competition

Celebrating the winners of the Trophy Competition, their creativity and innovation

__________________________________________________________

15:00-15:45

From algorithm to artisan: Crafting new lifestyles for a circular future

__________________________________________________________

15:50-16:20

Keynote Speech

  • Julia Watson - Designer, Author, Professor at Columbia University 

__________________________________________________________

16:25-17:10

Designing with water: Building resilient and beautiful cities

  • Lenora Moore - International Senior Vice-President Commercial & Solutions for CRH
  • Justin Abbot - Arup Fellow, Director, leading Arup’s water business in Europe
  • Julia Watson - Designer, Author, Professor at Columbia University

__________________________________________________________

16:30-17:15

An Archipelago of Ateliers: How European AI Factories Can Power the New European Bauhaus

  • Francesca Bria - Co-director, Archipelago of Possible Futures
  • José Luis de Vicente - Co-director, Archipelago of Possible Futures
  • Tommaso Calarco - Director of the Institute for Quantum Control at Forschungszentrum Jülich
  • Cristian Canton - Associate Director, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS)
  • Gabriella Scipione - Director HPC at CINECA
  • Christian Rauch (Moderator) - Director, Berlin Science Week
  • Fabien Giraud - Artist and researcher, Feral project
  • Ralph Dum - High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart

__________________________________________________________

17:15-17:45

Waves of change - Keynote with Chloé and Matthieu Leger Witvoet

__________________________________________________________

17:50-18:30