Metropolia partners up with the EU's New European Bauhaus initiative

25.8.2021 - 16:00

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) has chosen Metropolia University of Applied Sciences as its official partner. Together with an extensive network of European partners, Metropolia is set to build new perspectives and ways of working to accelerate a sustainable European way of life.

NEB is in many ways a unique initiative. Above all, it is a missionary European movement that challenges a holistic reflection on our current way of life. The ambitious goal is to reconcile the values of societies and everyday lifestyles with ecological boundary conditions.

Metropolia’s strategy, which aims to accelerate change towards a sustainable society, strongly supports NEB 's values, future goals and inclusive approach. At the heart of Metropolia's strategy are five phenomenon-based innovation hubs, which address the challenges of sustainable development through open innovation and research.

"For Metropolia, NEB offers a great opportunity for meaningful European cooperation," says Anna-Maria Vilkuna, Metropolia's RDI Director. “We learn from our partners and at the same time we can bring our own expertise to development work. In our phenomenon-based innovation hubs, we operate on the ecosystem principle and openly, i.e. together with our partners we produce solutions to the challenges of our time. The best solutions are those that support the well-being of both man and our living environment. These are created by the cooperation of different actors, boldly seeking something new and learning together. We are also pleased that Metropolia is the second Finnish university in a row after NEW University as a NEB partner. ”

For Metropolia’s innovation hub Functional City for People, the most important aspect are the people, the citizens. “Our goal is to develop urban environments in a socially, economically and ecologically sustainable way, promoting the inclusion and well-being of city dwellers. That is why the NEB is a very important European reference framework for us, with great action and where we can promote these issues at European level. A functioning people-to-people innovation hub offers a wide range of opportunities for NEB cooperation in both development and education. Our strength is to unite experts in various fields in cooperation with the citizens to develop urban environments, utilizing e.g. new XR technologies such as the recently completed European Augmented Urbans project coordinated by Metropolia" says Mona Roman, Innovation Director.

The new European Bauhaus is proceeding in three stages

Launched by the European Commission, the New European Bauhaus initiative implements the European Green Development Program, and its content is shaped by the ideas, examples and aspirations of European actors gathered during the spring and early summer of 2021.

The new European Bauhaus will proceed in three phases: joint planning, implementation and dissemination. The steps are partly parallel, as individuals and communities interested in the initial ideas are most likely to become partners in implementing and expanding the initiative. The initiative has activated participants at an early stage in open discussions where the concept can be refined in a broad joint process. At the same time, the implementation of the initiative is planned to be linked to the ongoing planning of the EU's multiannual financial framework.

Further information

Read more about New European Bauhaus European Union site.

Anna-Maria Vilkuna
Director, RDI
Anna-Maria.Vilkuna [at] metropolia.fi (Anna-Maria[dot]Vilkuna[at]metropolia[dot]fi)

Mona Roman
Innovation
Director Mona.Roman [at] metropolia.fi (Mona[dot]Roman[at]metropolia[dot]fi)