In Edinburgh, Scotland, on 29 November 2018, within the framework of the annual EUROCITIES conference, awards were presented for outstanding achievements in the field of activities enhancing the quality of life of citizens. In the Innovation category the award went to our project RogLab – Creative and Innovative Hub.

In addition to Ljubljana, Düsseldorf and Strasbourg made it into the finals.

The RogLab project is alluding to the Rog Factory, once an important industrial centre which is planned to be developed into a contemporary creative space.

RogLab is the first step: a small creative hub full of equipment for quick prototyping established by the City of Ljubljana. In cooperation with 40 local and international partners we are providing designers, artists and entrepreneurs with equipment and technical support in implementing their innovative ideas. Many of them are focusing on urban living and pressing social issues.

Since it was established six years ago, RogLab has hosted over 4500 individual users, 70% of them are women, and each year there are over 200 children enrolled in its educational programme.

We have been using RogLab as a small scale test of working modalities that could become the essence of the future revitalised Rog Factory. Innovative and original, it will once again serve the creative and enterprising spirit of Ljubljana.

»The EUROCITIES award is a recognition for many people who have been part of the creation, development and the current life of RogLab. RogLab is a model of an integrative organisation trying to react to the needs of creators who are facing the challenges of globalisation, digitalisation and rapid technological development. It is an interdisciplinary space with joint projects which can bring together comic book authors and electrical engineers, fashion designers and new movement‑impaired fashion enthusiasts, children and urban planners, lacemakers and millennials,« said the head of RogLab Meta Štular.

This is the second reward the EUROCITIES organisation has presented to our city, namely, in 2013 we received a reward in the category Smart Living for the project titled »Providing Safe and Equal Opportunities in Traffic for Children and People with Disabilities«.