Forum 2026

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

• Anna Heringer - Architect at Studio Anna Heringer
• Carmen Diaz - Chief People and Sustainability Officer at HOLCIM

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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 (EE)
• Sorcha Edwards - Secretary General of Housing Europe

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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

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Concluding perspectives with Commissioner Dan Jørgensen 

• Dan Jørgensen - EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing
• Dr. Johan Rockström - Director of Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

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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

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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

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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 Bauwmeester

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

• Jochem Daelman - Co-founder & General Director of Onkruid Studio (BE)

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

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

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Concluding Perspectives with Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva

• Ekaterina Zaharieva - European Commissioner for Start-ups, Research & Innovation

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NEB Innovation Arena: Where Values Meet Venture

Green 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

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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 Design and Research at d.centre (RISE), Associate Professor at Umeå Institute of Design and Guest Researcher at TU/e

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

• Andrej Horvat - Deputy Programme Director and Head of Sustainable Development Unit at U-LEAD
• Yoshiyuki Kawazoe - Professor at the University of Tokyo, Laurent Troost - Founder architect at Troost & Pessoa
• Laurent Troost - Founder architect at Troost & Pessoa

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Closing speech from Commissioner Jessika Roswall

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

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Awards Ceremony: Trophy Competition

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

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

• Tamari Aptsiauri - Co-founder and CEO of COSMO
• Anneleen Bertels - Co-curator of Artisanal Intelligence

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Keynote Speech

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

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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

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

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

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Waves of change - Keynote with Chloé and Matthieu Leger Witvoet

• Chloé Léger Witvoet and Matthieu Witvoet - Swimmers and Founders of Swim for Change

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Wrap up reflections and strategic insights to conclude the FORUM

• Eamon Ryan - Chair of the European Commission's Housing Advisory Board

Full speakers line-up will be announced soon...