On June 18th, InCUBE joined the New Energy Forum 2026 in the Northern Netherlands to host a hands-on matchmaking session, bringing together innovators, companies, policymakers, and ecosystem partners from across the region’s housing and construction landscape.
The session was designed around a simple but effective format: five tables, five companies, and thirty minutes dedicated to making meaningful connections. Each table was hosted by one of five organisations working at the cutting edge of sustainable construction and the built environment — Van Wijnen, De Verbinding, Gemeente Groningen, Bureau voor Verduurzaming, and Bind — each with their own pitch and a specific question to anchor the discussion.
Rather than open networking, participants were guided to the table most relevant to them through a short audience segmentation exercise at the start. The result was a room of purposeful conversations, not random card exchanges.
Each table host opened with a lightning pitch: what problem they’re solving, who their ideal partner is, and one concrete ask. From embedding sustainability structurally into construction projects, to training the next generation of skilled tradespeople, to making the energy transition practically and commercially accessible for businesses in the North — the pitches set a clear tone. This session was about action, not inspiration.
Each table host opened with a lightning pitch grounded in real work and real challenges.
Van Wijnen shared how sustainability can be embedded structurally in construction — not as a project-by-project effort, but as a default. Drawing on renovations including the Oranjewijk (186 apartments) and the Van Heemskerckflat, the pitch explored the real tensions around cost and client expectations that stand in the way.
De Verbinding made the case for inclusive employment as a form of construction innovation. Maarten van der Vlist presented how De Verbinding integrates deaf workers into its operations — including through the development of a prefab meterkast — and how Social Return on Investment (SROI) can be a meaningful steering tool for procurement parties.
Gemeente Groningen introduced their handbook for biobased and circular construction, developed within the framework of Het Nieuwe Normaal. The municipality is working to connect its real estate, infrastructure, and housing departments around a shared approach — and came to the table looking for input from market parties, contractors, and housing corporations on what makes this policy workable in practice.
Bureau voor Verduurzamen pitched the scale of the challenge ahead: guiding tens of thousands of homeowners in Oost-Groningen, Eemsdelta, and Het Hogeland through the process of going gas-free under Nij Begun – Maatregel 29. The discussion centred on how to make this large-scale residential approach practical, trustworthy, and deliverable.
Bind shared how they advise building owners on translating sustainability ambitions into concrete renovation steps — analysing buildings and installations, assessing measures like insulation, heat pumps, and solar panels in combination, and guiding owners through decision-making, permitting, and execution.
The New Energy Forum brought together exactly the kind of diverse, decision-making audience that makes matchmaking meaningful: energy professionals, construction companies, municipal stakeholders, and investors sharing a space and a common challenge. For InCUBE — an EU-funded project dedicated to accelerating technical and social innovation in the housing sector — it was a natural fit.
InCUBE’s role in the session was to create the conditions for the kind of connections that don’t happen by accident: between a contractor looking for new market partners, a municipality wanting to scale up sustainable renovation, and an advisory firm that can bridge the two.
Interested in connecting with the organisations that participated? Reach out directly with the people below, or follow InCUBE’s work at https://www.linkedin.com/company/incube-project-eu/Â to stay informed about upcoming opportunities to collaborate.
Van Wijnen: Nadia Mild, Projectcoördinator — n.mild@vanwijnen.nl, Klaas-Oeds Huisman, Commercieel Manager — ko.huisman@vanwijnen.nl
De Verbinding Maarten van der Vlist, Eigenaar & Directeur — m.vandervlist@praktijkcampus.nl
Gemeente Groningen Sebastiaan van der Haar, Senior Beleidsadviseur — Sebastiaan.van.der.Haar@groningen.nl
Bureau voor Verduurzaming Constantijn Blaauwhof, Aanjager — c.blaauwhof@bureauverduurzamen.nl
Bind Harald Zegeren, Directeur & Adviseur — h.zegeren@binddd.nl Harmen Lijnema, Adviseur Energietransitie — h.lijnema@binddd.nl
New Energy Coalition  Shubhra Chaudhry, Project Leader InCUBE — s.chaudhry@newenergycoalition.org
