Regaining a sense of belonging
Social Impact Generator
Transforming a Military Container into a Peace Innovation Hub in Europe’s Last Divided Capital
In Europe’s last divided capital, we’ve turned a military container into the world's first innovation hub within a buffer zone, uniting Cyprus' communities after 50 years of division. The Social Impact Generator fosters entrepreneurship, sustainability, and social cohesion, transforming a space of conflict into one of collaboration. By reimagining a military site as a hub for learning and innovation, we empower youth, marginalized groups, and entrepreneurs to co-build a more inclusive future.
Cyprus
Regional
Apart from engaging local communities and third-country nationals in Cyprus, we have also been hosting participants from Israel-Palestine and the Western Balkans at our hub. As a neutral space, it provides an opportunity for other conflict-affected Middle Eastern communities to collaborate through the strategic partnerships we establish.
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Yes
2021-06-01
No
No
No
As a representative of an organisation
The Social Impact Generator is an innovative peacebuilding initiative in Nicosia’s UN Buffer Zone. Recognizing that traditional peacebuilding efforts engage less than a third of the population, we employ entrepreneurship and innovation as bridges between divided communities as entrepreneurs, who are natural peacemakers, can bridge divides through innovation, collaboration, and economic opportunity. Our hub supports youth innovators (18-35), Greek and Turkish Cypriots, third-country nationals, and marginalized individuals from conflict-affected and disadvantaged groups facing unemployment, resource limitations, and inter-communal tensions. Through accelerators, hackathons, bootcamps, and venture builders, they co-create economic growth and sustainable peace, while community events, seminars, and policy discussions foster dialogue and collaboration. The transformation of a military container into a thriving innovation hub reflects the New European Bauhaus values of sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetics. Designed with circular economy principles, the space uses upcycled materials and supports environmentally conscious startups. Accessible and free programs empower youth, women, and marginalized groups, fostering entrepreneurial skills and cross-community partnerships. The adaptive reuse of a buffer zone into an aesthetically inspiring co-working and cultural venue restores the identity of a divided place and fosters belonging. Our key goals are to foster inter-communal collaboration, support youth entrepreneurship, promote sustainability, enhance community engagement, and scale impact beyond Cyprus. Since launching, over 60% of participants have met someone from an "opposing" community for the first time, leading to new intercommunal startups and cross-border collaborations. More than just a space, our hub is a metaphorical bridge—proving that entrepreneurship can drive reconciliation and sustained peace through economic cooperation.
Peacebuilding
Entrepreneurship
Dialogue
Community
Collaboration
Sustainability is embedded in both the physical space and operational model of the Social Impact Generator. The hub itself is a model of adaptive reuse, repurposing a buffer zone container into a creative and functional space using reclaimed materials. The architectural intervention highlights the importance of ecological design by incorporating sustainable building practices and reinforcing the principles of circularity. At our hub, we incubate sustainable startups aligned with NEB values, like Pit to Table, which turns olive pits into furniture, and NEEMA, which creates vegan leather from prickly pear cacti. Our programmes we implement in the hub like the FoodWaste Hackathon and Youth Innovators Factory provide funding (€25K to three winning teams) and mentorship to young entrepreneurs tackling environmental challenges, embedding sustainability into both our space and community. In line with our Sustainability Plan, we prioritize sustainable event management, including zero-waste catering and local sourcing, reinforcing the necessity of conscious consumption within business and community engagement. Additionally, we measure our impact as an organization in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring that sustainability remains at the core of our operations. By transforming a buffer zone container into a thriving hub for circular economy solutions and sustainable design, we showcase the power of adaptive reuse, green entrepreneurship education, and community-driven action in driving meaningful change. Given that Cyprus ranks 32nd out of 34 European countries in sustainable development, our initiative takes an alternative approach by using entrepreneurship as a peacebuilding tool, demonstrating that economic collaboration not only fosters reconciliation but also contributes to long-term sustainability in the regions that need it the most, where to date, we have supported 200+ startup teams in addressing sustainability challenges.
The Social Impact Generator is a living monument to reconciliation, where history and innovation intertwine. Its design reflects both the scars of division and the vision for a shared future. For over 50 years, Cyprus has been physically and politically divided, with the Green Line (military buffer zone) symbolizing this separation. By choosing this historically charged site for our innovation hub, we have transformed a place of historical conflict into a “neutral zone”, space of connection, collaboration, and peacebuilding. The functional beauty of upcycled furniture and carefully (locally) designed co-working spaces ensures that the space is both comfortable and inspiring. The site’s transformation not only serves as a physical manifestation of regeneration but also fosters an environment where individuals feel empowered to engage in dialogue and co-create solutions. The atmosphere of the hub—imbued with warmth, creativity, and collaborative energy—enhances users’ experiences, allowing them to form meaningful relationships, exchange ideas, and build new futures together. Our impact is tangible. Research shows that 70% of entrepreneurs are interested in cross-Green Line trade, yet lack knowledge of regulations and support. Since launching, we have engaged over 6,000 community members, helped create hundreds of startup teams, and facilitated encounters where over 60% of participants met someone from the "other" community for the first time—and 40% entered the Buffer Zone for the first time. As the world’s first innovation hub within a buffer zone, the Social Impact Generator serves as an exemplary model for peacebuilding, proving that transforming spaces of division into hubs of collaboration can foster reconciliation, economic opportunity, and sustainable development. We’ve restored a sense of place, purpose, and unity to a divided city which can be replicated across other conflict-affected regions.
Our project breaks physical and societal barriers, ensuring full inclusivity. All programs, mentorship, and startup resources are free, promoting financial inclusivity and empowerment in Cyprus, where startup funding is limited (ranking 107th globally in GDP per capita). In a 2020 study we conducted with 350 founders, 68% reported relying on self-funding and 28% on bank loans, highlighting the financial challenges and lack of funding opportunities for entrepreneurs. To address the gender gap in Cyprus' male-dominated startup ecosystem, we've implemented initiatives that increased women's participation to over 50% in our programs. Our team maintains gender parity and equal representation of Greek and Turkish Cypriots, ensuring diverse perspectives shape our initiatives. Beyond gender, we promote inclusivity across religions, cultures, and ethnicities. As one of the few inter-communal entrepreneurship hubs in Cyprus, especially in the buffer zone, we leverage our resources to also engage third-country nationals, who are otherwise restricted from crossing, offering rare opportunities for intercultural collaboration. We address digital inclusion, as Cyprus lags in adopting advanced technology, with only 50% of businesses using digital platforms. Through partnerships like Microsoft, we provide digital literacy programs, equipping underrepresented groups with essential skills to thrive in the digital economy. We ensure psychological accessibility, making participants feel safe and valued through programming that emphasizes empathy, shared narratives, and diverse experiences. This fosters trust, creating lasting connections across backgrounds and strengthening our role as a catalyst for peace and belonging. In 2024 alone, we supported 130+ startup teams, organized 40+ bi-communal programs, achieved +20% community growth and distributed €100,000 funding.
The Social Impact Generator is a citizen-driven initiative transforming division into collaboration through entrepreneurship, sustainability, and innovation. Since 2023, we have supported 230+ startup teams, including 25+ inter-communal teams, engaged 3,100+ participants, and provided 310+ mentorship hours through 80+ programs. Civil society organizations, including NGOs, universities, and private sector partners, play a crucial role by connecting underrepresented entrepreneurs, providing mentorship, and funding innovation. With €100,000+ distributed in startup funding, we empower youth, women, and marginalized groups while fostering inter-communal cooperation. European and public institutions further strengthen our work, backing initiatives like the New European Bauhaus Hackathon, which awarded €20,000 to urban innovation projects. By integrating citizens and civil society at every level, we have built a resilient, cross-border startup ecosystem, proving that economic collaboration drives peace and sustainable development.
Throughout the design and implementation of our project, we have engaged a diverse group of stakeholders across local, regional, national, and European levels to ensure its success and impact. We collaborated with academic institutions to gain expertise and create joint training programs, which provided a pipeline of youth for our initiatives and tool use. Partnerships with investors helped raise impact funds, offering entrepreneurs capital opportunities. NGOs played a critical role by connecting their beneficiaries with our programs, extending our reach to marginalized communities. Private companies, such as Microsoft, contributed to the project by providing digital tools, mentorship, and technical expertise, enriching the support network available to entrepreneurs. At the public level, we worked closely with government bodies to gain support for policy changes that align with our mission, ensuring a sustainable foundation for the project. Additionally, our collaboration with donors and grantors, including corporate donors and development agencies, allowed us to secure essential funding, furthering our mission to empower youth entrepreneurs. Notably, our engagement with European-level organizations, like EIT Urban Mobility, enabled us to host the New European Bauhaus Hackathon in Cyprus, where participants tackled urban transformation challenges, with the winning teams receiving €10,000 in funding and mentorship. This collective engagement has expanded our reach, resources, and funding, enabling us to scale our impact and build an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. In 2024, we engaged 90+ mentors, delivered 160 mentorship hours, collaborated with 50+ organizations, and secured support from 20+ sponsors, strengthening the effectiveness of our initiatives. Our peace-building philosophy and inclusive, transdisciplinary ecosystem approach could serve as a model for other organizations looking to multiply their impact, through enhanced dialogue and cooperation.
The Social Impact Generator is a multidisciplinary, community-driven hub where diverse fields intersect to foster inclusivity, sustainability, and peacebuilding through entrepreneurship and innovation. Designed by the community, for the community, it integrates architecture, cultural studies, social innovation, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and policy-making to ensure both physical and programmatic accessibility. At the design stage, we engaged with cultural analysts to inform us on inter-communal interactions, shaping a space that fosters belonging and collaboration. Architects and circular economy experts provided guidance on adaptive reuse principles, transforming a military container into an aesthetically inspiring hub using upcycled materials. Gardening and environmental specialists helped us design sustainable outdoor spaces that promote well-being and social connection, while inclusion and equality experts ensured accessibility in both infrastructure and program design. At the implementation stage, these disciplines continue to shape our work. Entrepreneurship and technology experts provide training, mentorship, and digital tools for underrepresented entrepreneurs, while academic institutions contribute research, joint training programs, and pipelines of young innovators. NGOs and civil society organizations, connect marginalized entrepreneurs with our programs, while private sector partners and investors support impact-driven startups through funding, mentorship, and business development opportunities. Policy and governance specialists from public institutions and EU-backed initiatives aid in policy advocacy for inclusive economic policies and cross-border entrepreneurship. This cross-disciplinary approach has transformed a historically divided space into a thriving, shared ecosystem that promotes sustainability, economic opportunity, and reconciliation through collaborative experiences.
The economic impact of conflict is significant, as nations with low peace levels experience slower economic growth. Traditional peacebuilding efforts often fail to engage new audiences across divided communities, especially in Cyprus, the world’s last divided capital. Despite efforts towards reconciliation, inter-communal dialogue remains scarce, exacerbating divisions.Cyprus faces challenges in peacebuilding, with less than a third of the population engaged in reconciliation efforts. Despite the division, Cyprus stands as a beacon of hope for peace, stability, and prosperity. The island's youth, particularly affected by unemployment and conflict, represents both a challenge and an opportunity for transformative change. Traditional methods lack adaptability, coordination, and focus on prevention, limiting their impact. Our model, however, brings innovation to peacebuilding. The Social Impact Generator is the world's first innovation hub in a military Buffer Zone, with a dedicated focus on entrepreneurship. This groundbreaking initiative catalyzes social and economic development in conflict-affected regions. Our Social Impact Generator model revolves around six pillars: Research, Capacity Building, Policy, Digital Tools, Live Programs, and Physical Spaces. It drives systematic change through data-driven solutions, starting with research to understand local needs and culminating in policy advocacy for sustainable peace, social impact, and economic development. By leveraging our hub, entrepreneurship and technology, we create a novel pathway to peace, fostering economic unity and social cohesion in divided communities. Our solution benefits local regions and inspires global peacebuilding initiatives through inter-communal collaboration, entrepreneurship, and technology. Our model is expanding regionally, with participants from Israel-Palestine and the Western Balkans joining our hub, a neutral space for other conflict-affected Middle Eastern communities to collaborate.
Our project adopts a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach centered around peacebuilding, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and inclusivity. We employ a combination of design thinking, human-centered design, and community-driven methodologies to ensure that our initiatives meet the needs of diverse beneficiaries and stakeholders while fostering collaboration and positive social change. Our solutions are powered by our “Social Impact Generator Model”, which aims to develop resilient innovation ecosystems that foster collaborative entrepreneurship amongst youth in conflict-affected regions. This model consists of six key pillars - Research, Capacity Building, Policy, Digital Tools, Live Programs, and Physical spaces - which all come together to achieve sustainable peace, social impact, and economic development. It focuses on systematic change, building solutions based on data. The design and implementation process begins with understanding the unique needs of youth and marginalized groups in Cyprus and other conflict-affected communities, using qualitative and quantitative research methods. We partner with local universities and community stakeholders to ensure that our programs are responsive to the specific cultural, social, and economic context. With those outcomes, we design capacity-building programs, including accelerators, bootcamps, hackathons, and mentorship, which are designed to provide participants with the tools and support they need to succeed in their entrepreneurial endeavors and furthermore participate in policy think-tanks to recommend changes. We utilize the principles of inter-communal engagement and dialogue to create a physical and virtual space where participants from different backgrounds can work together, learn from each other, and co-create sustainable solutions to pressing social and economic challenges.
Our scalable and adaptable methodology allows us to replicate and customize solutions globally, particularly in regions facing social, economic, and environmental challenges. Our initiatives serve as blueprints for fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems and facilitating social impact through technology and innovation. By combining digital tools, live programs, and physical spaces, we drive social impact and entrepreneurship, making our model applicable worldwide. Built on community data and feedback, our innovations evolve to meet changing needs. Post-deployment, continuous user surveys help refine our products to adapt to conflict-affected conditions effectively, providing a comprehensive framework to solve diverse challenges. Additionally, our success in co-creation through strategic partnerships, coupled with our innovative transformation of a container in the buffer zone into a vibrant innovation hub, exemplifies a model for international collaboration. By engaging with local NGOs, governments, and international organizations, pathways for adapting and replicating such initiatives globally, harnessing collective knowledge and resources to address local challenges, foster sustainable peace, and drive innovation in conflict-affected regions can be achieved. In our efforts to achieve that, we participate in policy think-tanks to recommend changes and advocate for policies that promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and peacebuilding. By understanding specific regional challenges, we can customize our tools to address local needs, ensuring that solutions are both relevant and impactful. This model applies not only to political conflicts but also to environmental or human rights issues. With eight years of experience uniting Greek and Turkish Cypriots and working with Israeli-Palestinian and Western Balkan communities, we aim to expand our impact into regions like the Middle East, South America, and South Asia.
The world is witnessing an alarming increase in violent conflicts, with some of the highest levels recorded since WWII. This escalation affects global peace and economic stability, underlining the critical need for accessible entrepreneurial capital in conflict regions. The Social Impact Generator tackles some of the world’s most pressing challenges—conflict resolution, economic disparity, climate change, and social fragmentation—through localized, community-driven solutions. By transforming a militarized zone into a shared innovation hub, it provides a replicable model for peacebuilding in post-conflict regions worldwide. The economic repercussions of conflict are profound, as historically, nations with low peace levels experience hindered economic growth compared to their more peaceful counterparts. Entrepreneurship is not only a key driver of peace but also of economic growth. With 2.927 million young persons unemployed in the EU as of December 2024, including 2.359 million in the euro area and a youth unemployment rate of 15%, our project offers access to entrepreneurial training, funding, mentorship, and networks, empowering youth to create businesses and solutions that contribute to both social stability and economic development. As micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises account for 90% of firms and 70% of global employment, fostering entrepreneurship is central to both peacebuilding and economic growth, particularly in conflict-affected areas. Through collaboration, policy advocacy, and digital tools, we help communities tackle political, social, and environmental challenges. Our scalable, data-backed model fosters localized change and long-term economic prosperity. Already supporting conflict-affected entrepreneurs from Israel and Palestine, it has the potential to transform other divided societies worldwide.
We evaluate our impact using various metrics: Digital/Live Engagement: Number of users, learners, and participants + qualitative feedback on program effectiveness. Economic Value Generated: The value of business collaborations and funding facilitated through our programs. Social Cohesion: Success of cross-border interactions and extent of engagement between divided communities. Through our programs, 60% of participants met someone from the "opposing" community in Cyprus for the first time, and 40% entered the Buffer Zone for the first time, breaking barriers and fostering dialogue. So far, we have built a community of 7,000+ members, with a 20% growth in 2024 alone. In 2024, we have supported 130+ startup teams, including 15+ bi-communal startup teams, delivered 160+ mentorship hours, engaged with 1600+ participants, residents, mentees, coworkers, organized 40+ entrepreneurship and innovation programs, distributed €100,000 in startup funding, empowering youth and marginalized entrepreneurs. Our impact continues to grow, proving that a hub for entrepreneurship can drive reconciliation, economic empowerment, and sustainable peace.
