The Slovak University of Agriculture (SPU) in Nitra opened the Creative Center on Wednesday, May 15, focusing on three sectors of the creative industry - design, architecture, advertising and marketing.

Its main goal is to mobilize and support creative potential in the Nitra region. It will provide opportunities for start-ups, incubators and start-ups, support the start of university graduates and the development of talents. It includes, for example, design workshops, architectural studios, a multifunctional hall for events and a film and advertising studio. The unique feature is the virtual reality cave, which is the largest in Central Europe.

The SPU Creative Center was built thanks to financial support from the Integrated Regional Operational Program and the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. This put Nitra on the map of creative centers in Slovakia. It is also the first university creative center in Slovakia. The project, supported by a non-refundable financial contribution of 5.8 million euros, was implemented from December 2020, construction work took place from June 2022 to August 2023. The creative center was officially opened by connecting cables as a symbol of connection by the rector of SPU Klaudia Halászová, the state secretary of the Ministry of Culture Mário Maruška, the state secretary of the education department Robert Zsembera and the project manager of the SPU Creative Center Barbora Čakovská. The opening was attended by representatives of the Nitra Self-Governing Region, the city of Nitra, representatives of educational, grant, cultural and creative institutions.

Rector Klaudia Halászová emphasized that the SPU Creative Center is the only creative center with such a focus in Slovakia. In addition to services in the field of design, marketing and advertising, it also provides services in the areas of green and blue architecture, which include the spheres of landscape engineering, garden and landscape architecture, land management and bioeconomy. The Creative Center is another piece that will fit into the overall infrastructure of SPU and its philosophy as a Green University, which emphasizes the connection of education with practice and the support of young talents. "The spaces we offer are dedicated to topics that currently resonate in society - digital transformation, green transformation, food industry, agroforestry, land management. These are areas that are needed and used by three sectors - the agricultural sector, the economy sector through the creative industry and, of course, education, science and research," said the rector.

The building was purchased by the Slovak University of Agriculture in 1998. The building dates back to 1939 and was the seat of the famous textile factory Pleta, later Luna. Since 1999, the Slovak Agricultural Library has been located here. After a decade of reconstruction work, the modernized library premises were opened in 2009. Today, 85 years since the establishment of Pleta, the Creative Center has opened in another part on an area of 2,830 square meters on four floors above ground. "On the first floor there is a woodworking workshop, on the second there is a multifunctional hall for events, as well as an advertising department, which also includes virtual reality and neuromarketing. The third floor belongs to design workshops and there is also a 3D printer. On the fourth floor there are architectural studios," explained Barbora Čakovská, project manager of the Creative Center of the SPU.

The Creative Center also includes a virtual reality cave with almost 22 million light points, which is unique not only in Slovakia but also in the whole of Central Europe. It is a circular room in which virtual reality can be simulated. "We can do a virtual tour here, have classes for students here, or even implement various meditation and relaxation audio simulations here. For example, we will place loungers here and transport a person to nature in virtual reality, simulate the sounds of birds and nature, and we can also support this with aromatization - for example, we will release the scent of the forest," explained Associate Professor Jakub Berčík from the Institute of Marketing, Business and Social Studies of the Faculty of Economics and Management of the Slovak University of Applied Sciences. The virtual reality cave is an excellent opportunity for start-up entrepreneurs. They can see here what their store would look like, what dressed mannequins in the window would look like, and the like. It can also be used in a similar way when testing architectural works. "For example, an architect designs a park and here he can see how it will look, what the composition of the plantings will be, and test how people perceive it," added J. Berčík.

The Creative Center offers various incubation programs aimed at supporting start-up entrepreneurs. However, the services of the Creative Center can also be ordered by companies that are already established on the market and would like to try out new projects or various innovations.

Photo gallery from the event: https://www.uniag.sk/sk/aktualne-informacie/spu-otvorila-jedinecne-kreativne-centrum-ktore-podpori-kreativny-priemysel