The New European Bauhaus Academy (NEBA): training professionals in circular biobased construction, renovation and urban transformation

Launch of the NEBA Alliance at the NEB Festival in Brussels

The NEB Academy, a flagship initiative of the European Commission, has set out to accelerate the up- and re-skilling of architecture, construction, and engineering (ACE) professionals and adjacent actors. Through a network of training hubs across Europe that bundle regional competencies and facilitate access to contents on sustainability, circularity and bio-based material knowledges. A strong partnership of universities, regional training centres, authorities and EU associations has kicked of the NEBA Alliance to co-create this novel platform for the construction sector.

The urgency of the climate crisis and the construction sector being responsible for more than 40% of GHG emissions requires accelerating the transfer and adoption of climate change mitigation skills and tools to workers, businesses, policy makers, and the public. Therefore, Ursula Von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced the NEB Academy in November 2022 as a main flagship of the New European Bauhaus.

The initiative will make training materials easily accessible and offer courses in real-time. They are delivered through an international network establishing a growing number of Hubs across Europe that have regional coverage and expertise in specific topics. In this way, these tailored programs support the transition from a linear and fossil-based system to a more circular, regenerative and distributive economy designed to thrive within the planetary boundaries.

The NEB Academy aims to raise awareness, improve skills, and encourage commitment among stakeholders to drive change. Enhancing biobased industrialisation and digitalisation in the construction sector, the second largest industrial ecosystem in the EU, will create opportunities to attract young talent and skilled workers, contributing to the growth of the circular bioeconomy and the EU Green Deal. The initiative supports the goal of creating 160,000 additional green jobs in the EU construction sector through the Renovation Wave.

The NEB Academy will establish an open marketplace to match high quality training offers with skills needs and demands of different target groups. Setting up a central portal and database of certified training materials, courses, and modules, along with a selection of best practices in pedagogies it will enable widespread scaling of training on bio-based materials in sustainable construction. The curated NEB Academy course catalogue, validated according to thematic domains and NEB values, will allow trainers and trainees to immediately find the best suited training opportunities.

Prof. dr. Andreja Kutnar, Coordinator of NEBA Alliance: “Providing training for actors all across the construction ecosystem, and spread all around Europe, will help increase the use of biomaterials and ensure more people have access to healthy, beautiful buildings for work, living, and learning.”

Read the official press release.

The project is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members under Horizon Europe grant no. 101160532 | cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101160532