DUT Conference 2026

Coffee served in the Salon and at the terrasse 

Room: Salles des arches 

Introduction and welcome to the DUT Conference 2026 

• Program, check in- and house rules by moderator: Rebekka Bogner, HYVE
• Welcome address: Orsolya Küttel, DUT CEO & Philippe Froissard, DG RTD, European Commission

Livestreamed on Zoom 

In a time of overlapping global crises, cities are becoming powerful actors shaping narratives, values, and democratic life. This session explores how culture, research, creative industries, and design intersect with sustainable urban development. Moving beyond DUT’s themes of circularity, mobility, and energy, the panel addresses housing, public space, and the role of citizens in strengthening democracy.

Purpose of the Session

• To explore how nations and cities strategically use culture, research, values, and storytelling to influence global narratives.
• To highlight the synergies between creative industries and sustainable, future-oriented urban development.
• To elevate bottom‑up, citizen-driven perspectives and reflect on how public space supports democratic life.
• To situate urban soft power within today’s broader geopolitical and socio-economic landscape.

Moderator: Zandra Thuvesson, Formas 

Speakers: 

• Martin Gelin, journalist and award-winning author of seven books on American politics, foreign affairs and culture. He has written for The Guardian, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Foreign Policy, Slate and Dagens Nyheter

• Marcos Ros Sempere, Spanish politician, professor and architect, current Member of the European Parliament (REGI Committee and Chair of the European Urban Forum

Livestreamed on Zoom 

The DUT Roadmap revision in 2025 brought more clarity in the partnership impact logic. DUT is a ‘transition lab’ for funding agencies, piloting new formats to fund and scale R&I and involve new types of stakeholders e.g. local initiatives and private sector. Learn how the partnership’s vision and mission to fund R&I that help build cities build capacities translated into flagship instruments: e.g. Knowledge Hub, Innovation Portfolio, DUT City Panel, Urban Doers’ community. 

Speakers:

• Orsolya Küttel, CEO, DUT Partnership
• Johannes Riegler, Stakeholder Involvement Officer, DUT Partnership

Livestreamed on Zoom 

The DUT Partnership has set several formats into place including City Panel and Urban Doers Community to mobilise stakeholders from municipalities, business and civil society to become active in the DUT mission to transform cities. In addition, DUT is working with NetZeroCities and CapaCities to strengthen innovation in cities. The goal is to improve funding for urban research and innovation, support implementation, and build knowledge in cities. Ultimately, this work aims to help cities achieve their goals. But how does this work in practice? This session offers a reality check, with insights from key actors who have experience driving change on the ground in cities.

Speakers:  

• Mar Ferrer Sáez, Head of Technical Infrastructure, Systems and Communications at Valencia Innovation capital, City of Valencia, ENACT project
• Hans Sakkers, City of Utrecht, EUI project Collective Energy Districts, DUT City Panel
• Nadja Riedel, City of Leipzig, MONUPED project

Livestreamed on Zoom 

Open Area in the Salon: Learn about DUT activities, projects and related initiatives in a fluid space with posters and stands. 

Lunch is served in Foyer and Salon

This high-level panel explores how Europe can better align its key instruments —research and innovation (FP10), urban policy frameworks, and emerging investment tools such as the European Competitiveness Fund — to accelerate sustainable urban transformation. 

As cities play an increasingly central role in delivering Europe’s climate, economic, and societal objectives, the question is no longer only about funding excellence, but about connecting research, policy, and investment to achieve impact at scale. 

Bringing together perspectives from European institutions, city networks, and partnerships, the discussion will examine how these dimensions can work more coherently, how cities can act as innovation actors in their own right, and how collaboration across sectors — research, business, and governance — can be strengthened. 

Moderator: Zandra Thuvesson, Formas (DUT) 
Speakers: 

• Orsolya Küttel, CEO, DUT Partnership
• Philippe Froissard, Head of Unit, DG RTD, European Commission
• Pia Laurila, Team Leader - Cities, European Commission - DG Regional and Urban Policy – Unit Cities, Communities, People
• Chiara Venturini, Head of Digital Transformation and Economic Development, Eurocities

Livestreamed on Zoom 

Step into our interactive Policy World Café where we bridge the gap between research and policy impact. Through project showcases and collaborative roundtables we will identify the policy levers needed to turn research and experimentation into resilient urban action.  

15mC - From Project to Policy: Fostering the Urban Mobility Transition by Improving Connectivity and Accessibility

Join the 15-minute City session to discuss strengthening the mix of urban functions and services, rethinking mobility for urban outskirts and (re)imagining urban public spaces and streets.   

Organisers: Florian Kressler, DUT Partnership & Juliette Tenart, Bax company 

Room: Salles des arches 

Speakers:  

• Fredrik Johansson, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, MBD15 project
• Giovanni Fusco, Université of Côte d'Azur, EMC2 project
• Harris Stamatopoulos, Sustainability Innocenter, SUCOLO project

CUE - From Project to Policy: on Urban Food Systems, Circularity, and Nature-based Solutions   

Join the Circular Urban Economies session to discuss policy interventions for urban food systems, circularity initiatives, and nature-based solutions.  

Organisers: Björn Svensby, DUT Partnership & Zoë de Jonge, Bax company  

Room: Boudoir 

Speakers:   

• Thomas Randrup, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciencies, NATURO project

• Maria Korabovska, University of Latvia, TransScale project

• Geogre Zaimes, Democritus University of Thrace, FEED4FOOD project

   

PED - From Project to Policy: How PED Projects Catalyse Resilient and Inclusive Energy Systems    

Join the Positive Energy Districts session to develop concrete contributions to emerging energy frameworks through structured discussions across policy, economic, social and technological dimensions.  

Organisers: Roos Marinissen, DUT Partnership & Dominic Stephen Bax company

Room: Grenier 

Speakers:  

• Luis Ramirez Camargo, JUST PEPP project
• Volker Coors, Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciencies, DigiTwins4PEDs project
• Gernot Tscherteu, Realitylab, HEATCOOP project

Coffee is served in Foyer and terrasse  

OPEN AREA continues in Salon 

Implementing and Scaling Urban Solutions: From Pilot to Practice to Impact

This session put the spotlight on the cities' transition journey, how solutions developed through DUT-funded projects could move towards implementation and potential scaling, and how this process is supported by EU Mission initiatives. City cases share hands-on experiences, lessons learned, challenges and success factors. The session is held in collaboration with CapaCITIES. 

Room: Salles des arches

Speakers:  

• Mar Ferrer Sáez, Head of Technical Infrastructure, Systems and Communications at Valencia Innovation capital, City of Valencia, ENACT project
• João Dinis, Climate Action Director at Cascais Ambiente, City of Cascais, POSEIDON project

Moderator: Marco Grippa, ERRIN, CapaCITIES

Livestreamed on Zoom 

DUT-NEB Session:  Building Sustainable and Inclusive Societies from the Ground Up 

This session is a collaborative satellite session bridging the DUT Conference and the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Festival. It explores how local actors, grassroots initiatives, and cross-sector collaboration can drive place-based societal transformation aligned with NEB's core values of sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion.  

Featuring speakers from the Stockholm NEB Local Chapter and the DUT Co-PED project, the session highlights practical examples of placemaking and bottom-up experimentation. Specifically, it will look at how social and cultural centres can drive the energy transition as well as how cross sectoral exchange in Stockholm leads to societal transformation.  

The session will discuss synergies between DUT's urban implementation focus and NEB's emphasis on beautiful, lived transitions, with opportunities for interactive exchange on scaling local action across Europe as well as the broader role of local actors in changing societies from the ground up. 

Room: Boudoir

Speakers:

• Ceyda Berk-Söderblom, Senior Project Manager and Researcher, Trans Europe Halles, Co-PED project
• Marlene Johansson, Senior Researcher, Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE)
• Vincent Guimas, Project Manager, Green Kommon & Co-PED ULL Representative
• Diana Monsberger, CEO Blivande Idéer AB, Climate Quilts project

Moderator: Jakob Schabus, DUT Partnership
 

Beyond Europe: A Global Lens to Urban Transformations

Urban challenges may be experienced locally, but they are shaped by global drivers – from climate change and resource dependencies to shifting geopolitical dynamics. As international cooperation becomes more complex, a key question emerges: how – and why – should we continue to collaborate across borders?

This interactive session explores the role of global collaboration in advancing sustainable urban development. Bringing together perspectives from Europe, Asia, and beyond, it will examine what cities and innovation actors can learn from each other, how joint approaches can be developed, and what is needed to move from exchange to real co-creation.

Through short impulse inputs and a participatory fishbowl discussion, the session will reflect on the future of global urban knowledge and the role of initiatives like DUT in connecting actors, funding, and ideas worldwide.

Room: Grenier

Speakers:

• Giorgia Rambelli, Director of Urban Transitions Mission

Moderator: Johannes Riegler, DUT Partnership

Drinks and finger food