The NOUS Urban Sustainability and Innovation Hub operates as a multi-functional platform for innovation, co-creation, civic engagement and applied sustainability action. Its services are designed to support citizens, researchers, entrepreneurs, educators, public authorities, civil society organisations and local institutions that wish to contribute to more sustainable urban futures.

Rather than functioning only as an event venue or information point, NOUS acts as an interface between knowledge, community needs and practical experimentation. It provides a setting where local challenges can be translated into research questions, public workshops, citizen science activities, entrepreneurial ideas, pilot projects and collaborative initiatives.

Through its services, NOUS aims to lower the barriers between academia, local government, business and society. It supports people and organisations that want to test ideas, exchange expertise, mobilise communities, generate evidence, develop skills or build partnerships around sustainable development.

NOUS supports early-stage ideas and initiatives that respond to urban sustainability challenges. This includes concepts linked to circular economy, waste reduction, sustainable mobility, climate adaptation, energy efficiency, digital inclusion, social innovation and community resilience.

The Hub can support individuals or teams at different stages of idea development: from early problem definition and concept shaping to networking, mentoring, pitch preparation and identification of relevant funding or partnership opportunities. Particular attention is given to initiatives that generate measurable environmental or social value and that are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

This service is relevant for students, researchers, young entrepreneurs, NGOs, community groups and innovators who are developing solutions with a clear local impact. NOUS can help them refine their value proposition, understand stakeholder needs, connect with potential collaborators and explore pathways for testing their idea in real urban conditions.

Knowledge-sharing and capacity-building are central to the role of NOUS. The Hub can host and support public workshops, training sessions, awareness activities and thematic discussions addressed to citizens, educators, municipal staff, professionals, students and community organisations.

Workshops may cover topics such as urban gardening and composting, citizen science methods, digital literacy for sustainability, sustainable mobility, walkability audits, climate adaptation, entrepreneurship basics, grant writing and community-led innovation.

The objective is not only to transmit information, but to create participatory learning environments. NOUS workshops are intended to be interactive, practical and solution-oriented, enabling participants to exchange experiences, identify shared problems and explore realistic actions. The Hub may also welcome community-generated workshop proposals, especially when they respond to clear local needs and contribute to sustainability, inclusion or civic engagement.

NOUS acts as a bridge between academia and society. It supports transdisciplinary collaboration by helping connect researchers with public authorities, citizen groups, entrepreneurs, NGOs and other stakeholders working on real-world urban challenges.

This service can help transform local concerns into researchable questions, applied studies, pilot activities or joint project ideas. Topics may include climate resilience, energy systems, sustainable mobility, data science, social innovation, environmental monitoring, science communication and public participation.

For researchers, NOUS can provide access to a community-facing environment where ideas can be tested, discussed and refined. For citizens and organisations, it creates a route to scientific expertise and evidence-based problem solving. In this way, the Hub supports research that is not isolated from society, but directly informed by local knowledge, lived experience and stakeholder priorities.

Where appropriate, NOUS can also help initiate collaborations that may lead to national or European funding proposals, policy-oriented outputs, living lab activities or structured stakeholder engagement processes.

NOUS promotes the principle that science should be accessible, participatory and socially useful. Through community labs and citizen science activities, the Hub enables citizens to engage directly with research and innovation processes.

Community labs can support activities such as environmental observation, urban data collection, biodiversity mapping, air quality monitoring, participatory climate diaries, mobility mapping, data storytelling and co-design of local interventions. These activities can help residents understand their environment, generate useful evidence and contribute to more informed public decision-making.

This service is particularly relevant for schools, youth groups, local associations, researchers and community organisations. By combining training, tools, expert guidance and public participation, NOUS encourages a culture of inquiry and shared responsibility. It also helps ensure that urban data and sustainability solutions reflect the lived realities of the people who experience local challenges first-hand.

The “Connect with a Researcher” service is designed to create a simple entry point for dialogue between citizens, organisations and scientific experts. Residents, entrepreneurs, schools, NGOs, public bodies or community groups may bring forward a local issue, idea or challenge and be connected, where possible, with relevant academic or technical expertise.

Examples could include concerns about flooding, heat stress, waste management, walkability, green spaces, energy behaviour, educational innovation or the development of a green technology idea. Depending on the nature of the request, the interaction may lead to an informal consultation, a structured meeting, a public discussion, a citizen science activity or a longer-term collaboration.

The purpose of this service is to bring research closer to society and to make it easier for local problems to inform research agendas. It also helps researchers identify real-world needs, improve the relevance of their work and develop stronger pathways to impact.

The NOUS Hub can provide space for meetings, workshops, trainings, public discussions, stakeholder consultations, community events and creative sessions, subject to availability and approval.

The facility may be used by startups, NGOs, schools, researchers, public bodies, local groups and project teams whose activities are aligned with sustainability, education, innovation, research or civic engagement. Possible uses include stakeholder workshops, public lectures, student meetings, co-creation sessions, project presentations, training activities and small-scale networking events.

Access to the space should be requested in advance. Priority is given to activities that contribute to the mission of NOUS and that support sustainable development, citizen participation, knowledge exchange or community benefit.

NOUS may provide access to selected equipment for sustainability, education, research, media and innovation-related activities, subject to availability, prior approval and applicable use rules.

Potential uses include environmental mapping, field documentation, citizen science activities, prototyping, digital design, video production, data visualisation, urban storytelling and educational projects. Equipment access is intended to support individuals and organisations that may not otherwise have easy access to technical tools needed to develop or communicate their work.

Use of specialised equipment may require orientation, supervision or compliance with relevant safety and regulatory requirements. Priority is given to projects aligned with the Hub’s focus areas and to activities that produce clear public, educational, environmental or research value.

Individuals and organisations interested in using NOUS services are invited to contact the Hub team with a short description of their request. The description should explain the purpose of the activity, the target participants or beneficiaries, the expected outcome, the preferred dates or timeframe, and any specific support required.

Requests may relate to events, workshops, research collaborations, citizen science activities, green innovation ideas, space booking, equipment access or general partnership proposals.

NOUS will review each request in relation to its mission, availability, capacity and alignment with the Hub’s focus areas.