The NEB Academy’s mission is to help ideas move from inspiration to implementation by connecting knowledge, skills, and innovation across Europe.
Launched by the European Commission in 2022, the NEB Academy initially focused on skills for sustainable construction, bringing researchers and practitioners together to accelerate the upskilling and reskilling of the construction ecosystem. This first phase led to the creation of a network of Hubs across Europe, making innovative training accessible to public authorities, practitioners, and students, while connecting local knowledge with European and international expertise.
With the adoption of the 2025 Communication on the New European Bauhaus, the European Commission is expanding the scope of the NEB Academy from a skills initiative to a broader infrastructure supporting how the NEB valorises knowledge, builds capacities, and supports innovation.
The objective is to create a continuous NEB learning loop: enabling people and organisations to access knowledge and inspiration from existing projects, develop the skills needed to turn ideas into reality, and connect with the networks, partners, and environments that can help implement and scale innovative solutions across Europe.
How is the NEB Academy implemented?
The NEB Academy is an initiative led by the European Commission. The Commission sets the strategic direction, ensures overall coherence, and coordinates activities implemented by EU-funded and community-driven projects across Europe.
NEB Academy activities are structured around three pillars: knowledge valorisation, skills development and capacity-building, innovation and business development. Together, these pillars ensure that knowledge generated through NEB projects is collected, shared, translated into training opportunities, and further developed into tangible projects in neighbourhoods across Europe.
The following partners and projects are currently involved in implementing the Academy:
Knowledge Valorisation: to collect, structure, and valorise knowledge from NEB initiatives and projects
NEB Junction:
NEB Junction implements the NEB Hub for Results and Impact; it aims to boost the circulation of NEB knowledge and support new generations of initiatives in collecting, curating, and sharing insights and learnings from NEB projects.
NEB Tools & Resources:
instruments developed to help individuals, communities, and organisations plan, design, and carry projects following the NEB values and working principles.
Skills Development and Capacity Building: to translate NEB knowledge it into high-quality training
NEB Academy Alliance:
the NEB Academy Alliance laid the foundation of the NEB Academy. Bringing together researchers and practitioners from 11 Member States, the Alliance mapped skills gaps and training opportunities in the European construction ecosystem and established the first five regional NEB Academy Hubs. The Hubs have piloted training models on bio-based materials, timber engineering, building design, circular economy, cultural heritage, digitalisation, and more. The NEB Academy’s initial collection of open trainings can be consulted in the online catalogue of courses.
EIT Culture & Creativity:
EIT Culture & Creativity is the institutional partnership dedicated to helping European cultural and creative sectors and industries to become more sustainable, resilient and competitive, by fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and creative talent. Through its work with the New European Bauhaus, it encourages the use of cultural practices, creative and design approaches to tackle systemic challenges and contribute to climate adaptation, social inclusion and the long-term resilience of local communities. It will support the next phase of the NEB Academy’s deployment through calls for skills and innovation, starting in 2026.
BAUHAUS4EU:
BAUHAUS4EU is a European Universities Alliance driving NEB regional transformation and pioneering a new model of European higher education through transdisciplinary learning, joint curricula, and regional living labs. By connecting universities, regional ecosystems, and local partners across Europe, the Alliance contributes to sustainable transformation and to the development of more inclusive, resilient, and beautiful regions.
Innovation and Business Development: to foster the ecosystems needed for innovative NEB practices to emerge and scale
EIT Community NEB:
established in 2021, the EIT Community NEB is a cross-KIC initiative led by EIT Urban Mobility together with Climate-KIC and EIT Food. Through seven interconnected programmes spanning the full NEB Journey—from citizen-led ideation (Ignite NEB), incubation (Grow NEB) and start-up acceleration (Catalyse NEB) to community-led initiatives (Connect NEB), public space transformation (Co-create NEB) and scaling of social innovations (Enhance NEB)—it acts as a key entry point and ecosystem builder within the NEB. Having so far supported 220+ activities across 35+ countries, the EIT Community NEB plays a crucial role in making the New European Bauhaus visible, accessible, and actionable for citizens, communities, municipalities, and innovators across Europe.
EIT Culture & Creativity:
EIT Culture & Creativity is the institutional partnership dedicated to helping European cultural and creative sectors and industries to become more sustainable, resilient and competitive, by fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and creative talent. Through its work with the New European Bauhaus, it encourages the use of cultural practices, creative and design approaches to tackle systemic challenges and contribute to climate adaptation, social inclusion and the long-term resilience of local communities. It will support the next phase of the NEB Academy’s deployment through calls for skills and innovation, starting in 2026.