Kick-off meetings of Interreg SI AT projects ADDCIRCLES and REUSE

At the beginning of November Wood K plus started with the Interreg SI AT projects ADDCIRCLES and REUSE. Specific objective of the project ADDCIRCLES is promoting the transition to a circular and resource efficient economy, while the specific objective of the project REUSE is improving equal access to inclusive and quality services in education, training and lifelong learning through developing accessible infrastructure, including by fostering resilience for distance and online education and training.

ADDCIRCLES – Promoting Sustainable Regional Development through Additive Manufacturing: A Cross-boarder Initiative for a Resilient and Circular Economy.

The European Green Deal has the vision of Europe becoming a climate-neutral continent by 2050. For industry and SMEs in the programme region, this is both a threat (technological change too slow) and an opportunity (new business opportunities), where the Additive Manufacturing technology is an opportunity to respond advantageously in this situation.

The main objective of the project is to empower regional companies and networks for Additive Manufacturing. The technology is perfectly suited to the region´s business landscape, enabling the production of high value-added products through the development of sustainable solutions. As such, ADDCIRCLES will stimulate the region to transition to a resilent and circular economy. The project aims to drive the implementation of Additive Manufacturing in a way that improves resource efficiency in manufacturing and promotes recycling and the use of natural materials. The objective will be achieved by building a cooperation network of different transboundary value chains, as well as through two pilot projects on knowledge transfer at different stakeholder levels.

Partners, involved in the project are Faculty of the Polymer Technology (SI), which is also a Lead partner, TECOS – Slovenian Tool and the development Center (SI), Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (AT), Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (SI), Non-Profit Personnel Service of Carinthia (AT) and Wood K plus (AT).

REUSE – Improving the competences of SMEs with the model of cascade use of waste materials uptake in cross-border mentoring programme.

The European Commission has presented an action plan for the transition to a circular economy under the guidance of closing circuits. For this purpose, sustainable development strategies have been created at national and regional levels within the programme area, aimed at protecting resources and strengthening development and innovation, which, among other things, require companies to introduce circular business models. By closing materials circuits, we are thus faced with new challenges and more attention needs to be dedicated to the use of recycled or processed materials, renewable raw materials, and products from them.

In the programme area there are noticeable large regional differences in available knowledge and competences for innovations in the field of sustainable development and efficient management of resources and SMEs often have problems accessing suitable technologies and potential for the development of new materials.

The main objective of the project is to increase competences and knowledge with the help of cross-border mentoring programmes specialised for the circular transition of SMEs, which will be aimed at supporting the use of technological and non-technological solutions for the introduction of the model of cascade use of waste materials from production processes and thereby creating added value and strengthening competitiveness of the programme, which are a result of the transition of SMEs to the green and digital economy.

In the project REUSE partners involved are Pomurje Technology Park as a Lead partner (SI), Slovenian Institute of Quality and Metrology (SI), International School for Social and Business Studies (SI), Wood K plus (AT), Green Tech Valley (AT) and Research Burgenland (AT).