EIT Community New European Bauhaus project wins NEB Prize 2026

The Social Impact Generator Hub, supported by the EIT Community New European Bauhaus (NEB), has won the ‘Enablers for New European Bauhaus Transformation’ category under the NEB Champions strand at the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2026. 

The project transforms a former United Nations peacekeeping container in Nicosia’s buffer zone into a cross-community innovation hub. It was one of two EIT Community NEB-supported initiatives shortlisted for the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2026, alongside FURKAN Gdynia, a food-system initiative in Poland. Both projects demonstrate how local communities can put the New European Bauhaus values of sustainability, inclusion and quality of experience into practice. Support from the EIT Community NEB has helped them develop their ideas, connect with partners and turn them into initiatives with tangible local impact.

Social Impact Generator Hub: bringing communities together through innovation

Run by SocialTech Lab, the hub brings together young people and entrepreneurs from communities affected by conflict and division. Through accelerators, hackathons and mentoring programmes, participants work together to develop sustainable solutions to local challenges.

The project gives an existing structure a new purpose, creates a welcoming space for collaboration and provides free programmes designed to bring communities together. For 60% of participants, the programme provided their first opportunity to meet someone from the other community. Since its launch, the hub has delivered more than 150 programmes involving over 7 000 community members and supported more than 500 startup teams. It has provided over €100 000 in direct funding, while participating ventures have gone on to raise more than €1.1 million and create over 50 jobs.

Projects emerging from the hub include Pit to Table, another EIT Community NEB-supported project, which turns discarded olive pits into tabletops; NEEMA, which produces vegan leather from prickly pear cactus; DERGON, which creates 3D-printed furniture from recycled plastic; and the Cyprus Food Hub, which addresses food waste and food insecurity. The hub’s model has since been replicated in other regions. EIT Community NEB also ran an Ignite NEB Hackathon at the hub, bringing together 52 participants in 14 multidisciplinary teams to tackle sustainable urban development challenges. The winning team later received €20 000 in seed funding through the Grow NEB incubation programme.

Turning New European Bauhaus values into lasting impact

The award recognises the Social Impact Generator Hub’s contribution to transforming a space once associated with division into a place for collaboration and innovation. Its success also highlights the role of the EIT Community NEB in supporting community-led initiatives that put New European Bauhaus values into practice and deliver tangible local impact.