New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Regaining a sense of belonging

Email user
alessio@unknowngroup.com

Basic information
Initiative title
Equals Academy at the Titaan the Hague

Full initiative Title
Launch of the Equals Academy at the Titaan the Hague

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
The Equals Academy at the Tittan, in the Hague, is an innovative, women-focused, learning programme designed specifically to increase access of women to new job opportunities in the Hague’s tech scene. The Academy is one of the flagship initiatives set to take place in the Titaan, the Hague’s new, multifunctional impact hub in the district of Binckhorst.
The initiative is put forward by Unknown Group and Equals, the Amsterdam-based academy creating education and career opportunities for women.

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
Local

Where was your intiative implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Netherlands

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
The Hague, South Holland

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly urban

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
Yes

Which fund(s)?
ERDF : European Regional Development Fund

Here you can provide more details about the name of the specific programme, strand/action line as relevant, and the year
In 2022, the Equals Academy the Hague received a grant from the Kansen voor West, a Dutch programme run by the RVO and funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): Unknown Innovation B.V.
  Type of organisation: For-profit company
  First name of representative: Alessio
  Last name of representative: Caracci
  Gender: Male
  Nationality: Italy
  Function: Manager of Public Domain
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Avenida Federico Garcia Lorca 4
  Town: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
  Postal code: 35011
  Country: Spain
  Direct Tel: +34 696 23 68 70
  E-mail: alessio@unknowngroup.com
  Website: https://unknowngroup.com/
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unknowngroup/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #Titaan
In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
Press

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
The Equals Academy The Hague is an innovative, women-focused, learning programme designed specifically for the development of new tech skills in women looking for new, highly qualified, job opportunities in the ICT sector.
The programme intends to change the status quo in the local tech industry and rise to the challenge of doubling the percentage of women working in tech. To this end, the Academy brings together coding schools and top notch educational institutions in the ICT sector to train women, also without an ICT background, while increasing their awareness of the possibilities in the local tech scene. The ultimate goal is to pave the way for them to take on a highly skilled technical role and grow professionally in the tech industry.
The Academy intends to foster a community able to have a long-lasting impact on the future of women in the Hague’s tech scene. The perfect space for the development of such a community is the Titaan, the Hague’s new, multifunctional impact hub in the district of Binckhorst. The Binckhorst is a former industrial area situated just a stone’s throw from the Hague’s city centre. Over the last few years, the district has been experiencing a large redevelopment that has come to transform the old industrial landscape into an attractive place to live and to work. The building was designed in 1964 as a storage facility for the Caballero factory (then Cigarettenfabriek Ed. Laurens). After a 3-year renovation period, today Titaan represents one of the latest redevelopment projects giving new life to the Binckhorst: originally the storehouse of the nearby Caballero Fabrik, the Titaan has undergone massive renovation and expansion works to become the new powerhouse for positive impact in The Hague. Set to open its doors in Q2, 2023, the Titaan will be a state-of-the-art 13,000 m² innovation hub for companies and programmes that are creating a better world.

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Education

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Women in Tech

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Inclusivity

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Urban regeneration

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Positive impact

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
With an energy label of A++ Titaan is designed to meet the highest circularity and energy standards. A large part of the existing supporting structure has been reused as a solid basis for the new floor. Existing roof trusses are reused around the new atrium and also as bar furniture. This sets the tone for the atmosphere in the heart of the building. The wooden floor plates are also given a new destination from elsewhere in the building in the construction of the inner walls. All the materials used for the renovation and construction come from sustainable sources and are largely recycled. For example, the wall insulation material is made of old jeans.
The entire building is heated by heat pumps, including heat recovery via the ventilation air. The roof is fitted with 1,000 solar panels that account for the majority of the building's energy generation. Solar panels with a unique graphic print of tobacco leaves are placed along the edge of the roof – a reference to the tobacco storage of the Caballero factory that was once housed in this building. The glass facades are covered with sun blinds to keep the cooling load on energy consumption as low as possible. This, and with Titaan being completely gas-free, has resulted in the building being almost completely energy-neutral.
In the future, the Titaan will use and showcase innovations from local startups to continuously improve and make the building even more sustainable. For example, the Municipality of the Hague has recently granted a subsidy to two new tenants of the building, HYGRO and Huygens Engineers, to create a mini hydrogen factory converting Titaan’s surplus electricity generated via solar panels into hydrogen.
With the deliberate attention given to energy sustainability, the reuse of materials, and integrating the building’s past with bold and innovative future technologies, Titaan is uniquely placed to demonstrate how sustainable functionality walks hand in hand with innovative and aesthetic design.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Our key objective is to create a lively community able to foster positive change in the perception and involvement of women in the local tech ecosystem. To this end, the architectural design of Titaan plays a key role by creating a welcoming and conductive community. In terms of aesthetics, the renovation of Titaan is an example of how an anonymous industrial building can become a new landmark firmly anchored to its surroundings. For example, solar panels with a unique graphic print of tobacco leaves have been placed along the edge of the roof – a subtle reference to the tobacco storage of the Caballero factory that once housed this building. To strengthen the relationship with the water of the nearby canal, and to enable a continuous pedestrian route along the quay, the facade on the waterfront on the ground floor has been 'replaced' and made transparent. The area along the quay has been designed with inviting stairs and plenty of seating areas that can be used by both users of Titaan and passers-by. The front area at the main entrance is now connected to the quay level via grandstand stairs and can therefore facilitate meetings or presentations in the open air. The public character of the quay is continued into the beating heart of the building. In the middle zone, a common area was created with space for different types of workplaces where flex workers can also find a place. Voids and skylights provide light and contact between the different floors. For tenants, this layout encourages an open atmosphere to foster collaboration and the sharing of ideas. For visitors, such open exposure allows Titaan to be a welcoming space that is truly part of the community and wider city. This is further elevated by the rear entrance that also serves as a terrace, serviced by a restaurant in the future. Similarly, the capacity for hosting conferences and events does so in an open plan setting, further boosting a theme of transparency and inclusion into innovation and progress.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
We intend to create a programme and a space that will facilitate access and inclusion of women in the local tech workforce. In the Netherlands tech represents one the fastest growing industries, but only 18% of the ICT workforce are women. The Hague's tech scene is no exception to that. Our project has the ambition of challenging this status quo, training and placing 210 women (with job guarantee from employers) in ICT-related jobs in the region. The target group includes all women, without any exclusion and regardless of the eductaional level and professional background.
Our ambition is to reduce the gender mismatch in the industry, increase labour mobility for women and contribute to the development of a more resilient economy in The Hague. In order to reach these goals, the Equals Academy has developed a programme focused on:
-Creating a physical space where the women tech community can grow and multiple their impact by getting in touch with the local startup ecosystem
- Changing women's perception that they would not be suitable for ICT jobs by showcasing female role models who inspire other women to step out of old and limiting patterns. We want to reach 30k women in The Hague and thus raise awareness that they are also suitable for tech jobs.
- Developing assessment models geared on women’s needs. Currently, there is no difference in content between assessments for men or for women for ICT-related positions. As a result, female profiles are less well matched. We want to use assessments specifically developed for women, so that more and better matches can be made. We want to conduct 1,300 assessments.
- Informing and advising the broad tech community on how to create female-friendly job profiles and working conditions for ICT-related jobs in order to prevent dropout/outflow.
- Increasing retention of women working in tech by providing proper guidance and sharing of workplace experiences for the further and better development of new vacancies.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
Initiated by the Municipality of the Hague in 2018, the renovation process that has culminated in Titaan was one of communal involvement from the beginning. In 2021, after discussions with various stakeholders, the city council decided to sell the building, with the conviction that selling would lead to a more successful innovation concept than exploitation by the municipality. Particularly because more knowledge can be shared from the market, with appropriate support and a large network.
In March 2022 Unknown Group won the bid to purchase the building and started making plans to open its doors to the civil society. In July 2022, one year before the scheduled opening of the building, Unknown Group organised a festival to meet and get to know the neighborhood. The Titaan Festival brought together locals, friends, families and partners to visit the construction site, learn about the project and have an afternoon full of culture and relationship building. It was the first of a series of events designed to make the Titaan part of the wider community.
The Equals Academy the Hague now takes the involvement of the civil society to a whole new level, aiming at creating a durable and positive change in the local tech ecosystem through a programme based on education and inclusivity.
The Municipality of the Hague has an ambitious goal of setting itself as a centre for impact-driven ventures and initiatives within the Netherlands and Europe as a whole. The Binkhorst district of the Hague, formerly its industrial heart, is in the process of a long-term renovation that involves civil society stakeholders at multiple levels.
Titaan is today a key part of such a transformation process. Throughout its renovation, Unknown Group has collaborated and worked with the municipality every step of the way to ensure it not only compliments other renovation projects in the vicinity but also serves as a local landmark in aesthetics, sustainability footprint and services for the citizens.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
Multiple key stakeholders at local and regional level are engaged and contribute to the development of the Equals Academy at Titaan. The aim of the programme is not only to train and progress at least 210 women to an ICT position, but more ambitiously to start a movement and ensure that women start considering jobs in ICT as a serious career choice. To bring about change in this area, traditionally dominated by men, we are convinced that positive impact only happens through a collaboration between (local) government, women's organisations, business and society. Only through the active engagement of all these stakeholders, the academy will be able to create enough momentum to really make a difference.
The implementation of the programme involves at least three different types of stakeholders:
- Education and training organisations: these are the tech schools (from the Code Institute to the Wild Code School, from the Bit Academy to the Code to Change program) partnering with the programme to provide participants with tech skills training.
- Tech industry players: the major tech employers in the Hague which sponsor the programme providing fully funded traineeships and job guarantees.
- The local startup ecosystem: these are the startups and scaleups in the Titaan network. By sharing the physical place with the Equals Academy the Hague, they play a role in expanding the community of practice and foster a mutual mentoring environment, where ventures learn about inclusivity and development of ICT careers for women, and women learn about different teams and innovation projects.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
Equals Academy the Hague has the ambition of bringing together inclusivity, education and the local tech ecosystem to create higher awareness and more opportunities for women in the ICT job market. The programme does so by building a bridge between top tech schools and leading ICT companies in the region, creating a space in between tailored to the needs of the female workforce.
The renovation of Titaan embodies circular design, sustainability and innovation, with different sections of the building dedicated to different themes. For example, the basement houses a wide space of open kitchens and food manufacturing, innovating both in production and the workplace, and the ground floor houses key impact startups with game-changing ideas for industries such as in food, energy and manufacturing. An “Edutainment” corner also dedicates itself to scaleups revolutionising education, along with legal and capital support for tenants, all of whom holding the ambition to grow and scale rapidly. The end result of this is a positive environment of growth and success among tenants, who find themselves with like-minded founders helping to fix the future.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
With the Equals Academy The Hague, we want to train and place women for ICT-related positions at large companies and scale-ups in the region. To do so successfully, we need an innovative approach focusing on the female target group (as the current standard focuses mainly on men). In this sense, the first innovative feature of the Equals Academy the Hague is the development of a women community AND a physical place for the community. The focus on the creation of a “safe” physical space at Titaan dedicated entirely to women is a key feature of the innovation. Bringing female students together in a physical location is indeed critical to the success of the programme. It has been shown that training together creates close bonds between the students that can last a lifetime. Especially for women, who are making an exciting new career switch, that closeness is of great importance. In addition, it is also important that women are not in an ICT class where they are in the minority. Learning experiences collected from the coding schools involved in the programme revealed that gaining friendships and supporting each other in times when things get tough is one of the most important indicators of successful completion of training and subsequent success in a job.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
The Academy methodology can be replicated in different ecosystems, with aspects of the programme to be tailored according to the specific local needs. As a matter of fact, the Equals Academy the Hague builds on the experience of the Equals Amsterdam Academy, demonstrating that the training programme template can be succsfully adopted by other communities (such as the Titaan community) willing to make an impact at local level.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
The programme presents an innovative, process-based approach focused entirely on the needs of aspiring women in tech. For each woman starting with an employer, we go through a 6-month cycle from recruitment to employment:
- Recruitment, which starts with creating interest and awareness presenting inspiring female role models who are already working successfully within ICT. This is new because currently the focus in ICT personnel communication is on men.
- Information evenings which create the space for women to ask their own personal questions in a familiar environment during our information evenings. The fact that only women are present empowers each other and ensures that the threshold to ICT suddenly becomes a lot lower.
- Assessment and interviews. After a positive experience during the information evening, potential participants schedule an interview. With the interview, we assess the transferable skills women already have and which of these skills best match the requirements for IT jobs. We also look at which profile, education and employer best suits the candidate.
- Test by tech school. The affiliated 6 tech schools have the responsibility of admitting candidates through their own test. These tests include elements such as being able to think analytically, but also have, for example a component that looks at how firm a person is to solve a problem.
- Application procedure. With Equals Academy, we assume a job guarantee for participants before they start their training. After the assessment, and the positive admission test from the tech school, a candidate will be introduced to employers. Companies will not take technical tests, as the technical knowledge will only be present after the completed training.
- Training. In collaboration with 6 internationally leading and renowned tech trainers, we are able to prepare female ICT talent for many different ICT profiles from data analyst, to full stack developer.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
The Academy tackles at least two major social challenges with a clear global dimension:
- Skills shortages in ICT and
-The gender gap in tech.
Skills shortages in Dutch tech industry: All figures about the Dutch labor market show that lack of skilled workforce in the ICT sector is an issue now and in the coming years. In Europe, for example, over 70% of businesses say that the lack of staff with adequate digital skills is an obstacle to investment.
Strong innovation ecosystems all over the world are increasingly competing to attract and retain workers with highly up-to-date skills in tech fields. Additionally, the emergence of more and more new AI and big data technologies means that both the economy and the labor market will have to rapidly adapt to keep up. From the labor force perspective, this requires flexibility and agility and a certain eagerness to learn new technologies and continue to innovatively develop and implement them. For educational institutions all over the world, keeping up with these developments remains an ongoing challenge.
Gender gap in tech: All research and literature available shows consistently that the career advancement of men and women with equal college education becomes skewed over time. Women are indeed more likely to move to part-time jobs, reducing the chances of professional growth. In addition, women generally perceive their career perspectives less positively compared to men's own assessment. As a result, some of the women do not develop and advance further as a result, and significant skills and labor potential get lost. The challenge here is to break through this by making women more aware of their career opportunities and giving women the confidence to realize them in full also in the tech sector.

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
The initiative includes two core and correlated objectives:
- Transforming an old storehouse into the Titaan, a new hub for the impact community in the hearth of The Hague: After three years of renovation works, which have completely transformed the building and reshaped the surrounding area, the Titaan is set to officially launch in September 2023. Already in Spring 2023, Unknown Group and a few other first tenants will be moving in, starting to give new life to the space and developing the community that will be animating the hub.
- Launching the Equals Academy the Hague as one of the flagship programs taking place at the Titaan: In 2022, Equals and Unknown Group received a Kansen voor West grant (from RVO, the Dutch Development Agency) to launch the Equals The Hague Academy at the Titaan. The grant certified the social and economic value of the programme, and provided the two organizations with the financial support necessary to kick-start the initiative in Q3 2023.

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
PDF
PDF
- pdf-1-14933.pdf
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
The Equals Academy the Hague supports women finding a new job in the tech industry by offering them:
- A unique training path designed specifically for women willing to develop new ICT skills
- A clear job prospect based on the sponsorship of some of the Hague’s major tech companies (through the traineeship & job guarantees model).
In line with the ambitions of the European competence framework on sustainability, the programme sees in the development of new skills and competences the key action to dismantle the status quo, specifically for what concerns the percentage of women working in tech. The main aim of the project is to contribute to labor mobility in the
Hague region by harnessing the female workforce for ICT-related jobs. With the establishment of a
physical Equals Academy at Titaan, the program aims , to train and place 210 women (with job guarantee
from employers) in ICT-related jobs in the region and thus reduce the qualitative mismatch, increase labor mobility
and contribute to a resilient economy in The Hague.
The focus on resiliency and sustainability is reinforced by the presence, at Titaan, of a community of impact-driven startups. Fostering collaborations and interactions between the ventures in the Titaan ecosystem and the students, the Academy expects to generate even more learning and growth opportunities for both, the women students and the teams working on new and sustainable solutions.
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

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Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes