CIRCULAR ECONOMY for Start-ups
The common challenge of ECO-CIRCuS is to quantitatively and qualitatively increase new MSMEs in the blue and green supply chains using the “Contest” model for the provision of advanced services aimed at supporting the transition towards a circular economy. The main changes expected concern the increase of young MSMEs (max. two years of activity or three if innovative MSMEs) that are interested in enhancing their entrepreneurial skills in order to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the EC. The project’s outputs are: an “ECO-CIRCuS” joint business plan (including the range of specialised services); a Circular Expert Task Force (cross-border pool of experts on “circular” entrepreneurship); the “CONTEST ECO-CIRCuS” call for ideas & needs, in order to select the companies that will benefit from the specialised services; Specialised services regarding "circular" entrepreneurship. The direct beneficiaries will be new cross-border MSMEs that are already active in the blue and green supply chains and that are interested in increasing their competitiveness through the ability to introduce or implement “circular” micro-eco-innovations. ECO-CIRCuS encourages the spread of new businesses based on the circular economy, which are defined and implemented based on social and open innovation methods in order to ensure the right balance between the "need for innovation" and "protection of local identities". The cross-border approach maximises the benefits that can be achieved by “circular” business models because: 1) it allows for resource optimisation within the individual supply chains and between supply chains; 2) it nurtures creative processes and collaboration through territorial cross-contamination. Innovative aspects: implementation of social and open innovation processes; joint business plan for the development of “circular” entrepreneurship; cross-border provision of services for innovation and entrepreneurial training on the e.c; definition and initial implementation of new businesses connected to the e.c.