On 18 September 2026, CIRCULARIS and CIRCONOMY took an important step towards strengthening their links with the European circular economy community through an exchange with the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI).
The meeting brought together ten representatives from the two projects and Lucie Blondel, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), representing the CCRI. The exchange focused on how the projects can connect with existing European networks and initiatives, while ensuring that their research and pilot activities can deliver value for cities and regions working towards circularity.
Connecting research and innovation with the needs of cities and regions
The meeting provided an opportunity for CIRCULARIS and CIRCONOMY to present their projects, objectives and activities, highlighting areas where closer engagement with the CCRI community could support the implementation and wider uptake of their results.
A key part of the discussion was the potential to engage directly with CCRI cities and regions, creating opportunities for projects to better understand local needs and involve practitioners as users and co-development partners. Such connections can help bridge the gap between research and innovation activities and the practical challenges faced by European territories in their transition towards a circular economy.
The CCRI also presented a range of activities and collaboration mechanisms that could be relevant to the two projects, including:
- Thematic Working Groups and Communities of Practice, with particular relevance to the Community of Practice on Monitoring and Indicators for the Circular Economy;
- The new CCRI Peer Learning Programme, which could provide opportunities to connect project pilots with cities and regions interested in exchanging experiences;
- The CCRI Advisory and Support Programme, offering another potential avenue for knowledge exchange and collaboration;
- The CCRI Knowledge Hub, where relevant CIRCULARIS and CIRCONOMY resources and results could contribute to the wider European knowledge base;
- Future opportunities for replication, investment and city–business–investor matchmaking as project solutions and results mature;
- CCRI communication channels and networks to support the visibility and dissemination of project outcomes.
Building pathways for future cooperation
Beyond presenting the available CCRI mechanisms, the meeting enabled a broader exchange on how CIRCULARIS, CIRCONOMY and the CCRI can complement one another. The discussion provided useful insights into the ways project activities could connect with ongoing work across European cities and regions and how emerging results could reach relevant stakeholders beyond the projects’ immediate networks.
For CIRCULARIS, this engagement represents an opportunity to strengthen the project’s connection with the European ecosystem supporting the transition to a circular economy. By building relationships with cities, regions, practitioners and other relevant stakeholders, the project can further contribute to translating research and innovation into approaches that are relevant to real-world territorial contexts.
The exchange with the CCRI therefore marks the beginning of a continued dialogue between CIRCULARIS, CIRCONOMY and the wider CCRI community, with further opportunities for cooperation to be explored throughout the projects’ implementation.
