In its role as a contact point, CzK will serve as a bridge between the cultural and creative sector, the innovation ecosystem, the economy, and policymakers. CzK is committed to fostering long-term cooperation among various sectors to strengthen resilience and the capacity to address current challenges posed by geopolitical pressures, demographic trends, and climate change.

The opening conference, titled “A Space of Possibility,” took place on Thursday, 12 June, followed by a workshop on 13 June in the castle park of MAO. The attendees were welcomed by Maja Vardjan, Director of MAO, and Matevž Čelik, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture. This was followed by a presentation of the NEB initiative and the financial opportunities and mechanisms available within its framework. Key introductions were given by Vera Winthagen, Head of the NEB Unit, Joint Research Centre, European Commission; Tit Neubauer, NEB National Contact Point for R&I, Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation; and Anja Zorko, Head of CzK.

Four keynote speakers opened the discussion by contextualizing NEB values within the current societal and spatial landscape. During four thematic roundtables, moderated by facilitators with spatial planning backgrounds, 20 participants from various sectors, organizations, and professional backgrounds engaged in discussions.

At the first roundtable, speakers representing different stakeholders highlighted existing best practices in implementing NEB values in our environment. They reflected on where and how the NEB initiative supports the restructuring of funding mechanisms for program development that encourages collaboration with the cultural and creative sectors, research, testing, and the practical application of creative, research-based, and innovative solutions. The importance of multi-stakeholder involvement, cross-sector collaboration, and the inclusion of local communities in achieving NEB values was emphasized.

At the second table, representatives from academic institutions discussed the role of academia and innovation in developing interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability, community, and aesthetics. They stressed the importance of empathetic awareness of needs and finding concrete responses to them.

The third session explored the long-term integration of NEB values into the development strategies of various actors in the construction sector and public administration.

At the final roundtable, speakers from the fields of architecture and design addressed spatial planning and articulation at different scales, with a focus on public spaces and urbanism. They highlighted diverse approaches, from architectural workshops and systemic local-level actions to participation in European projects. The conversation underscored the potential of the profession to co-create more inclusive, sustainable, and aesthetically thoughtful environments.

The conference took place in the exceptional setting of the MAO castle park, which serves both as a social intersection between the museum institution and the community of Fužine—Slovenia’s largest housing estate—and as a haven of unexpected biodiversity, with its old park trees and proximity to the Ljubljanica River providing refuge for over 80 bird species. The space, shaded by the grand canopy of a majestic plane tree, hosted a dialogue on the values of the New European Bauhaus as a living process that connects people, practices, and places with a shared vision for the future of space and community.