EIT Community Ignite NEB 2026 Idrija- After the Mine

The After the mine project explores how Idrija’s post-industrial heritage can become a source of inspiration for developing new circular enterprises. Idrija, a UNESCO World Heritage Site shaped by more than 500 years of mercury mining, offers a unique combination of industrial spaces, mining knowledge, traditional crafts and intangible heritage.

Together with the Primorska Technology Park, we will connect cultural heritage, entrepreneurship and circular thinking. The central part of the project will be a heritage hackathon, where participants will develop business ideas rooted in Idrija’s industrial heritage and local challenges.

The programme will begin with four preparatory sessions, leading up to a two-day event in October 2026. Teams will develop their ideas directly within Idrija’s industrial heritage sites, including the Inzaghi shaft machine room, using heritage as a source of inspiration and a starting point for developing circular solutions.

The first day of the hackathon will begin with the public Ignite NEB Celebration at Giser House. Through exhibitions, immersive experiences, food and discussion, we will explore the future of Idrija’s heritage together with the local community. The main part of the hackathon, Ignite NEB Ideation, will take place in the former Inzaghi shaft machine room, where participants, supported by mentors and inspired by the heritage around them, will develop new products, services and business models rooted in Idrija’s industrial heritage.

Two winning teams will then enter an eight-month incubation programme, where, with the support of ID20 and the Primorska Technology Park, they will further develop their ideas with the aim of creating new circular enterprises.

The project is part of the Ignite NEB programme, an initiative of the EIT Community New European Bauhaus, which supports local projects where heritage, innovation and collaboration with local communities become tools for sustainable development.

Partners: ID20, Institute for Heritage Innovations, and Primorska Technology Park

Project duration: July 2026 – December 2027

After the mine is supported by the Connect NEB programme, part of the EIT Community New European Bauhaus. The EIT Community NEB is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), bringing together different Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) to support projects that advance the New European Bauhaus.