Project: Circular Innovation Hub
Acronym: CIH
Project ID: DRP0200388
Implementation Period: 01.01.2024 - 30.06.2026 (30 months)
Funding: The Danube Region Program 2021-2027
Total project budget: 2.351.007,00 EUR
Budget implemented by ODA: 134.818,00 EUR
ODA contribution: 26.963,00 EUR
Partners
Pomurje Technology Park (Slovenia) – project coordinator | IFKA Public Benefit Nonprofit Ltd. (Hungary)
Business Development Agency of Karlovy Vary Region (Czech Republic) | Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
Foundation Cluster Information and Communication Technologies (Bulgaria) | Science Technology Park Čačak (Serbia)
Digital Innovation Hub ONEX (Bosnia and Herzegovina) | bwcon research (Germany) | Technical University of Kosice (Slovakia)
Carinthia UAS - non-profit limited liability company (Austria) | Croatian Chamber of Economy – County Chamber Varaždin (Croatia)
Organization for Entrepreneurship Development (Republic of Moldova) | Science and technology park Montenegro (Montenegro)
Objective
Improving the innovation potential in regions characterized by a low level of R&D and knowledge-intensive SMEs. This objective will be achieved by testing the joint program to accelerate the circular transition based on the circular model of user experience in the multi-level supply chain in terms of the adoption of Industry 4.0 and to provide the main answer on how to create a value with the 3R circular principles (reduce, reuse and recycle) in the most difficult sectors: (1) plastic and metal processing and (2) the construction sector.
Description
The project targets less innovative regions and, to a significant extent, transition urban industrial regions with low innovation performance and weak innovation infrastructure, in absolute terms or compared to neighboring regions. Recent research has indicated that the lack of acceptance by consumers and users of circular offers is one of the main obstacles to the transition to a circular economy. SMEs face great difficulties in achieving a stage of environmental excellence due to the limited resources they have to adopt circular practices together with Industry 4.0 technologies. Industry 4.0 technologies can introduce the "intelligent concept", having enormous potential to facilitate circular principles.
The project will provide a real-world test environment for innovative approaches with an open, user-centric innovation system that integrates relevant stakeholders from partner ecosystems, contributing to the adoption of circular technologies in less developed partner regions and accelerating cross-border commercialization and technology assimilation. The project will test the developed user experience model and circular transition tools with acceleration services in two different and more challenging industries and innovation verticals: (1) in the manufacturing sector - the plastic and metal processing sector and (2) in the service sector - the construction value chain. Each partner will focus on the vertical in which it already has the most developed expertise in the field and in which the mentioned sectors are essential for the development of RIS3.
Results
Our partners will develop a transnational strategy and action plan for the circular transition. SMEs will be actively involved in testing the circular transition accelerator program. As a result, an electronic platform will be developed, which will provide access to technology solution providers, funding possibilities, available events, facilitators, developed digital and non-digital tools, models, best practices, real-life examples and short presentations. At the same time, a Circular Innovation Hub will be established to support the circular transition of SMEs in the field of production and services, in the Danube region. This hub will contribute to a more innovative, balanced and sustainable development in the region.
Project website
