The project meeting of the Interreg flagship project of Priority Area 8 WE.Circular took place on 25 and 26 November 2024 in Stuttgart, Germany. This event brought together over 50 participants from the business and public sectors from 12 countries, organized by bwcon GmbH and supported by Priority Area 8 “Competitiveness of Enterprises” of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). bwcon GmbH, the German project partner, is a leading business initiative promoting high-tech sectors in South-West Germany that connects around 700 companies, start-ups, and research institutions, supporting digital transformation and innovation.
The Interreg Project WE.Circular has 15 partners in 12 countries and a budget of € 2.399.263, funded by Danube Region Programme. The project aims to foster economic growth and environmental sustainability, making a tangible impact on the region. Through collaborative efforts, the project partners strive to bridge the gender gap, empower women entrepreneurs, and propel the circular economy forward.
As a flagship project of Priority Area 8, WE.Circular has been selected. These Danube Flagship projects are pivotal in implementing the EUSDR, featuring a clear macro-regional dimension and a multi-level governance approach. Consequently, they play an essential role in fostering the economic, social, and territorial cohesion of the Danube Region.
The meeting began with opening remarks from: Alexandra Rudl, Managing Director of bwcon GmbH; Mariya Zlateva, Lead partner and Coordinator of the WE.Circular project at the Regional Agency for Entrepreneurship and Innovations in Varna; Carmen Hawkins, Co-ordinator of Priority Area 8 of the EUSDR; and Amir Kalajdzini, the National Contact Point of Germany for the Danube Region Programme.
The project meeting featured a series of insightful presentations showcasing best-practices from Germany and Austria, while also offering interactive sessions such as group workings on digital, circular and soft skills and discussions. These sessions provided participants with an opportunity to delve into various topics, exchange ideas, and share their experiences with one another.
A notable example highlighted during the event was presented by Birte Boysen, GreenTech BW with their GreenTech BW Atlas . This innovative online platform serves as a bridge, connecting GreenTech providers from Baden-Württemberg with users seeking sustainable solutions. For GreenTech users, the platform enables effortless discovery and selection of providers without requiring registration. Users can filter by specific categories and explore detailed company profiles and application examples. This streamlined collaboration process enhances communication and cooperation with just a click. On the other hand, GreenTech providers gain increased visibility, showcasing their offerings to an audience actively seeking eco-friendly technologies. The platform also broadens the global reach of providers through automatic translation of profiles into English, French, Spanish, and Chinese.
Overall, the project meeting served as a valuable platform for networking, sharing best practices, and exchanging knowledge, significantly advancing the promotion of the bioeconomy and circular economy across the Danube Region, following up the workplan of the project. This exchange of ideas and experiences is crucial in driving the region towards a more sustainable future, with collaborative efforts playing a key role in shaping successful strate-gies for sustainable development.
Priority Area 8 itself is involved in the field of circular economy and bioeconomy. It hosts a thematic working group on the circular economy and bioeconomy, which is coordinated by Grit Ackermann from the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Goran Vasic, Director of the Serbian Bioeconomy Cluster. This working group aims to for example to connect partners of the Interreg projects WE.Circular, DECIDE, and PLAN. By doing so, it facilitates collaboration between various stakeholders to advance the circular and bioeconomy agendas across the region.
