The ITENE Research Centre is a Knowledge Transfer Office, set up in 1994.
ITENE provides companies with cutting-edge knowledge and technology to build a safer, more sustainable future. It aims to generate scientific and technological knowledge that it transfers to companies through R&D and innovation projects and consultancy, testing and training services.
It delivers solutions in four main areas:
sustainable materials and technologies for the circular economy;
design, safety and functionality in packaging;
chemical exposure and air quality monitoring;
logistics and smart mobility.
Current projects include FLEXIZYME: Flexible and adaptable enzyme biotechnology platform for the sustainable industrial production of bio-based fatty amines from waste.
The Czech Circular Hotspot is operated by the Institute for Circular Economy (INCIEN), a non-governmental organisation that has been promoting circular economy principles since 2014.
CCH aims to facilitate cross-sectoral and international cooperation in the field of the circular economy. It wants to create a space where the public and private sector can cooperate to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy in Czechia.
The hotspot was set up in 2022, and thanks to strong partners and successful models abroad, it has rapidly grown into an effective network. Members include businesses, SMEs, start-ups, NGOs and academic bodies.
As well as networking opportunities, it provides training sessions and information on overviews and trends.
The Osservatorio Innovazione Packaging is run by the Advanced Design Unit in the University of Bologna's Architecture department.Itaims to trigger innovation in the area of packaging. It collects, prepares and provides case studies, knowledge and experience in order to promote circular, collaborative and responsible innovation projects along the packaging chain.
One of the observatory's goals is to create a regional and national "network of networks" within the packaging sector so as to foster connections between stakeholders.
The platform provides planning services, bridging research, students and businesses through talent labs and competitive projects.
There are levels of access depending on the type of membership.
SmartProSys (Smart Process Systems for a Green Carbon-based Chemical Production in a Sustainable Society) is a research initiative for sustainable chemistry and circular economy at the Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany. It is funded by the Ministry for Science, Energy, Climate Protection and the Environment of the State of Saxony-Anhalt.
SmartProSys aims to replace fossil raw materials in chemical production with renewable carbon sources, thus contributing to a carbon-neutral society. The initiative involves researchers from the fields of systems-oriented process engineering, chemistry, mathematics, logistics, political science and psychology.
The initiative also organises events and issues a newsletter.
ReNewTex is an innovation network aiming to help tap synergies and graduallytransform the carpet and rug industry from a linear to a circular business sector.
It works as a moderated matchmaking platform where people can connect to further common ideas and needs through technological projects. After finding the topics, it supports companies in finding the right investment strategy and getting the project going.
ReNewTex hosts talks on sustainability or on specific topics. ZENIT, the agency for innovation and European affairs of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia, moderates the talks, looking for new members and support with project planning and funding.
Green Tech Valleyis a technology hotspot for climate protection and the circular economy. It has over 2300 scientists working on green solutions. It is home to over 600 green technologies and services for renewable energy and the circular economy, with an emphasis on recycling.
The Green Tech Valley Cluster drives the development of green innovation in the Green Tech Valley through match-making and knowledge transfer. It links up businesses with contacts in the green tech sector.
The platform has a directory of projects, which can be used to identify potential partners. The projects are categorised by theme, including Circular. It also has a section on courses for green skills.
Circular Berlinis an NGO that focuses on making Berlin circular.
Berlin is envisioned as a resilient, citizen-oriented region where resources are sourced locally and their value is maintained as part of a continuous loop. Circular Berlin operates across areas such as community-building and education, as well as developing knowledge about industries with a high potential for circularity: the built environment, food and biomass, textiles and fashion, materials and products.
Circular Berlin hosts events where the community comes together to talk about key issues from sharing knowledge to collaborative planning sessions. Open-source digital tools enabling information to be exchanged more quickly have been built.
For more information on Circular Berlin, see their report.
MarketPlace Circular Labs is an Interreg project in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula (North and Central Portugal and Castilla y León and Galicia in Spain). It aims to give visibility to good practices and circular economy success stories developed by businesses and entrepreneurs in the region.
There is a private area where users can share products and services, along with ideas for projects and synergies. There is also a learning centre, and events and publications are listed in the News space.
The project is funded by the ERDF via the Cooperación Transfronteriza INTERREG V-A España Portugal programme. It aims to incorporate the circular economy into the business culture and to build new ideas into every stage of the value chain.
Sitra works with partners from different sectors to research, trial and implement bold new ideas that shape the future. It aims to make Finland a pioneer in sustainable well-being.
It is a future-oriented fund which creates preconditions for reform, spurring everyone towards making a change and providing opportunities for co-operation.
Sitra’s work focuses on supporting a fair transition to a circular economy and investigating how business can be based on sharing instead of ownership. Sitra is also working to advance circular trade policies, to increase the understanding of environmental effects of digitisation and to explore the potential of the circular economy to safeguard biodiversity.
InnovaWood is a wood-oriented network of 70+ organisations in 28 countries in Europe and beyond, most active in research, education, training and knowledge transfer.
It includes research institutes, universities, VET actors and regional cluster organisations throughout the value chain, from forestry and wood processing to construction, furniture and the circular economy.
The network supports project consortia, many of them EU-funded. Circular projects include EcoReFibre(Ecological Solutions for Recovery of Secondary Raw Materials from Postconsumer Fibreboards), which recycles waste wood into fiberboards and novel fibre products, and Basajaun(Building A SustainAble Joint between rurAl and UrbaN areas Through Circular and Innovative Wood Construction Value Chains).
