During the event, the NEBA Hub was presented as a national platform for learning, competence development, exchange of experience, collection of practices, and cross-sectoral cooperation in the context of Ukraine’s reconstruction and modernisation.

The participants were welcomed by Olena Shuliak, the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning. She drew attention to the fact that recovery should not be reduced only to roads, buildings, or concrete. It should be viewed more broadly – as a matter of quality of life, safety, inclusiveness, sustainability, and the preservation of each community’s identity. The New European Bauhaus, an initiative of the European Commission, offers an important framework for combining sustainable development, inclusiveness, spatial quality, and practical changes at the local level.

Oleksii Riabykin, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, emphasised that the NEB is, first and foremost, about harmony, balance, and responsibility for the spaces in which people live. In this sense, the NEBA Hub in Ukraine can become a practical tool for strengthening the capacities of communities, public authorities, and professional communities. He underlined that it is important for Ukraine not only to adopt European practices, but also to be able to apply them in line with the local context – from frontline areas to communities in the central and western regions.

Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, noted in her address that the New European Bauhaus is an important framework for supporting Ukraine in creating a more sustainable and inclusive future while preserving local culture and identity. She also highlighted the symbolic importance of the launch: Ukraine is becoming the first country outside the EU to establish a NEB Academy Hub.

The NEBA Hub in Ukraine is being created with the support of U-LEAD with Europe, Just and Green Urban Recovery Accelerator (JGURA), and EU4Reconstruction (Stream 1), while the process of its establishment will be implemented by METALAB and Promprylad Foundation. The initiative opens up a new space for cooperation between Ukrainian and European partners – and, at the same time, provides an opportunity to demonstrate that Ukraine’s experience in reconstruction, resilience, and innovation can be valuable for the entire European community.

On behalf of U-LEAD with Europe, Just and Green Urban Recovery Accelerator (JGURA), and EU4Reconstruction (Stream 1), the participants were welcomed by Daniel Busche, the Country Director of GIZ Ukraine. He noted that Ukraine’s reconstruction requires not only resources – it also requires the right skills, coordination, and a long-term vision. The Hub will respond to these challenges by helping to close critical capacity gaps and promote cooperation between different sectors.

That is why the NEBA Hub in Ukraine is designed not as a closed institution, but as an open ecosystem for co-creation. Representatives of METALAB Elina Polianska and Promprylad Foundation Anna Boichuk emphasised that Ukraine already has many initiatives in the fields of sustainable reconstruction, energy efficiency, work with natural and innovative materials, development of public spaces, and resident engagement. At the same time, these efforts often remain fragmented. One of the Hub’s tasks will be to help connect them into a more systematic process, make successful practices visible and scalable, and link them with the wider European space.

The event also included a dedicated discussion on the broader vision for the NEB Academy. Solène Gautron, the Policy Officer for the New European Bauhaus at the Joint Research Centre, European Commission; Alessandra Gariboldi, a Senior Manager, Transformation & NEB Team, EIT Culture & Creativity; and Andreja Kutnar, University of Primorska and the Coordinator of the NEBA Alliance, presented how the NEB Academy is developing from a skills-focused initiative into a broader infrastructure for knowledge, skills development and innovation. The discussion helped to position the future Hub in Ukraine within the wider European NEB Academy ecosystem and showed how Ukraine’s reconstruction can be connected with European approaches to sustainable transformation of the built environment.

The panel discussion “NEBA Hub Ukraine as a Contribution to Ukraine’s Reconstruction and Modernization” focused on what knowledge, skills, partnerships and practical capacities the future Hub should help develop. The discussion brought together Tetiana Vodotyka, the Academic Director of the Master’s Programme in Urban Studies and Postwar Reconstruction at Kyiv School of Economics; Anton Kolomieitsev, the Chief Architect of Lviv; Roman Sahan, the Marketing Director at Alterra Group; and Anna Pashynska, the Co-founder of METALAB. They discussed the Hub’s potential role in connecting education, professional practice, innovation and cross-sectoral cooperation, as well as the priority areas where it could bring the greatest added value in the Ukrainian context.

During its first stage, the NEBA Hub Ukraine plans to build a community of partners, launch a broader process of co-creating the Hub, collect and systematise Ukrainian practices of sustainable reconstruction, and later develop educational courses and support the testing of solutions in communities.

If you would like to be part of the process of creating and working with the Hub, please leave your contact details via the link: https://forms.monday.com/forms/3d65c6dbedaeaf613c6372848f03c5fc?r=euc1&s=qr