Slovenska Bistrica’s HUB of Innovation is developed within the historic center. Its heart is the Crouzet, a heritage building that will become the centre for entrepreneurship and creativity of the Slovenian town. The Crouzet will support the regeneration of the historic area, where entrepreneurial, cultural, creative, craft and educational activities would be encouraged (creation of enabling conditions – spaces, low rent, additional services), supported (accelerator programme), and cross-fertilised (collaboration initiatives, innovation projects).

The project’s aim is to have a lively, inclusive, people centric city, where heritage is valued as well as value generating.  Moreover, the purpose of the HUB is to support the development of entrepreneurship culture within the local creative, cultural and heritage sector with a long term aim of economic and social activation of the historic urban area and new employment generation.

The Slovenska Bistrica Action

1. Crouzet HUB, a central space for creativity, innovation and heritage

Expected results:

• Accessible coworking space to promising start-ups and thus enable their faster development
• A programme of various events and activities showcasing local culture.

2. Crouzet start-up accelerator programme

Expected results:

• Selection of new building users that develop new creative, cultural and entrepreneurial content in the Crouzet
• Support for the development of companies
• Creation of new jobs in the creative and cultural sector

3. Mechanism of support for small local projects

Expected results: the Municipality will monitor the use of small local actions – tactical urbanism and place making approaches – and, when appropriate, upscale small urban actions into permanent measures.