Urban centres of peripheral regions of Central Europe are lagging behind central areas in the field of innovation and business development. It is due to the lack of access to global innovation processes and partners and lack of utilization of local innovation potentials. In EU, circular economy (CE) was acknowledged as a development concept that should provide sustainable, resource efficient development on one hand, and a great pool for innovation of new technologies, services, solutions and business models (EU Action Plan “Closing the loop”) on the other. The biggest challenge is on cities, where the big majority of resources are consumed (water, materials, energy, food etc.) and most emissions are produced (waste, air pollution, waste energy, waste water etc.).

Project Specific objectives

• Utilizing innovation potential of circular economy in cities by establishing the organizational framework for circular economy in cities – circular economy quadruple helix hubs,
• Enabling and facilitating circular economy innovation processes in cities by increasing knowledge and providing tools,
• Scaling up the innovation and business potentials of circular economy hubs through joint framework for RIS3 CE implementation to facilitate the set-up of transnational value chains (CE circles).