UNLEASH Europe
How can we rethink the way we build our homes, infrastructures, and shared spaces for a sustainable future? How can we shape cities that are not only resilient, but allow their communities to truly thrive?
Across Europe, the built environment stands at the heart of a just green transition, defining how we live, move, and connect. Yet achieving sustainability requires new ways of thinking, collaborating, and reimagining how our cities are made and who they are made for.
From June 27 to July 4, 2026, UNLEASH Europe will bring together 200 young changemakers from all corners of the continent to Copenhagen for a week of co-creation, learning, and collaboration. Participants will work in cross-sector teams to develop solutions that make Europe’s cities more circular, equitable, and livable.
Hosted in partnership with BLOXHUB, the Nordic hub for sustainable urbanization, the program will explore themes around equitable access to housing and infrastructure, circularity in building practices, and resilience in rapidly changing environments.
Applications to participate open in early 2026.
In partnership with
Picture by Rasmus Hjorthøj
UNLEASH Europe is supported by
The Program
June 27
Opening Ceremony
UNLEASH Europe begins with an Opening Ceremony that explores the latest trends in the Built Environment to inspire Talents on the week ahead.
June 28 – July 2
Innovation Lab and Site Visits
During the Innovation Lab, Talents spend 40+ hours immersing themselves in the UNLEASH Innovation Methodology to uncover solutions for the Built Environment. Amidst this action-packed week, they also have the opportunity to discover some Copenhagen gems that make the city a hub for urban planning.
July 3
Pitching, Solutions Festival, and Closing Ceremony
At the end of the Innovation Lab, teams pitch their solutions in front of peers and key industry players. During the Solutions Festival, prototypes of the solutions are displayed. The program ends with a Closing Ceremony where finalists pitch and inspirational keynotes share some tips for the journey ahead.
June 27
Opening Ceremony
UNLEASH Europe begins with an Opening Ceremony that explores the latest trends in the Built Environment to inspire Talents on the week ahead.
July 3
Pitching, Solutions Festival,
and Closing Ceremony
At the end of the Innovation Lab, teams pitch their solutions in front of peers and key industry players. During the Solutions Festival, prototypes of the solutions are displayed. The program ends with a Closing Ceremony where finalists pitch and inspirational keynotes share some tips for the journey ahead.
June 28 – July 2
Innovation Lab and Site Visits
During the Innovation Lab, Talents spend 40+ hours immersing themselves in the UNLEASH Innovation Methodology to uncover solutions for the Built Environment. Amidst this action-packed week, they also have the opportunity to discover some Copenhagen gems that make the city a hub for urban planning.
The Innovation Process
In our programs, we use the unique UNLEASH Innovation Methodology to enable changemakers to translate sustainability challenges into impactful solutions. Our methodology is built around a collaborative innovation process, based on user-centered design principles. In a nutshell, user-centered design starts with focusing on the user you want to design for and ends with tangible products or services, developed to suit their specific needs. The process follows five steps:
Problem Framing
Ideating
Brainstorming and selecting ideas to solve the problem
Prototyping
Testing
Testing the solution with users, learning, and adapting
Implementing
Solutions from previous Innovation Labs
“I met wonderful people during the Lab and came up with the idea for Permalution, a start-up focusing on fog and cloud water harvesting technology, tackling the world’s challenges in water access and drought.”
– Tatiana Estevez Carlucci,
UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017,
Denmark
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“During the Lab, I was surrounded by people who were truly passionate about solving the challenge we focused on: sustainable fashion. My solution is the digital wardrobe app Whering, which allows you to manage your wardrobe from your device.“
– Bianca Rangecroft,
UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2019,
Shenzhen
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“At Test At Home Pte. Ltd., we are now developing ‘Lollipop-like’ and ‘Chewing gum-like’ devices and technology to enable easier, convenient, cheaper, accessible, and home-based healthcare testing.”
– Vivek Manoharan,
UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2018,
Singapore
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“OneDay Health launches sustainable health centers in remote Ugandan communities which previously had no access to quality healthcare. It is amazing how far both our team and OneDay Health had come during the Lab.”
– Nicolas Laing,
UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017,
Denmark
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