Strategic Research and Innovation Partnership on Circular Economy
About this good practice
Ministry of Economic Development and Technology of Republic of Slovenia published a tender for supporting Strategic Research and Innovation Partnerships (SRIP) in the priority fields of the national Smart Specialization Strategy. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Štajerska is the cofounder and manager of SRIP – Circular Economy, which represents an important tool for promoting sustainable increases in the efficiency and competitiveness of the Slovenian economy in transitioning to a circular economy, and connects 57 companies, 18 educational and research institutions and 17 NGOs.
Its central objectives are to establish long-term public-private partnerships, improve the material efficiency/productivity index, establish new value chains with closed material loops, and develop new business models.
Within the SRIP there are 6 identified focus areas. Focus area Secondary Raw Materials creates systemic solutions for technological development in waste treatment and disposal, where processing of industrial and construction waste is the first technological area.
To support companies in the development of systemic solutions SRIP offers the following services:
- Internationalization,
- Education and consulting in the introduction of circular business models,
- Consultancy for research and development projects,
- Connecting in circular value chains,
- Development cooperation with the state, and
- Promotion of members’ achievements.
Resources needed
The funding sources between 2016 and 2023 amounted to around 780,000 EUR from the EU Cohesion fund (CF) and 780,000 EUR from private sources. For the period 2023 - 2026, the funding will be 350,000 EUR from CF and 350,000 EUR from private sources. It is balanced for support in all 6 focus areas.
Evidence of success
The SRIP-Circular Economy connects more than 90 members, successfully implementing over 150 projects for the transition to a circular economy and the promotion of sustainability.
Among members of SRIP, there are 12 who are active in the areas of construction, more precisely in the fields of construction, forestry and wood industry, mining, waste management and validation.
2 of these members collaborated in international project Wool2Loop for production of facade panels from waste mineral wool.
Potential for learning or transfer
SRIP represents a best practice example that can easily be transferred to other regions. It is a multistakeholder platform based on mutual collaboration and promoting the transition to a circular economy, whereby members can always turn to the organization for assistance in finding suitable partners, investors, providing education to address knowledge and competency gaps, and keeping them informed about innovations in the fields of circular economy, internationalization, sustainability and green transition.
Through connecting research institutes with businesses, it fosters multidisciplinary approaches which lead to development of new experimental approaches being applied in practice, such as Cinderela project on New Circular Economy Business Model for More Sustainable Urban Construction.
Catering as a central hub for Slovenia, SRIP serves as the nation's representative both on international stages and within European platforms.
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