CircularInvest is a CCRI-PDA initiative proposed by 4 organisations (META, INOVA+, Circle Economy and ICLEI EURO) that aims provide project development assistance (PDA) to selected circular economy (CE) project promoters from across Europe so as to access the resources needed to develop significant CE investment projects at local and regional scale and to close the investments during the action. In the proposal phase, CircularInvest collected signed support letters from European cities that wish to benefit from the CircularInvest PDA services with an overall investment volume exceeding €20M. CircularInvest will be deployed in 4 stages: 1) Ignition: promotion and launch of 2 calls for expressions of interest to engage CE project promoters in CircularInvest´s PDA services; 2) Selection: implementing an independent and inclusive selection of CE investment project promoters (beneficiaries) to receive PDA support; 3) Technical assistance: delivering PDA services based on a three-pillar-approach: a) one-to-one tailored specialised services: support from experts to beneficiaries, b) many-to-one peer-to-peer workshops: support from beneficiaries to beneficiaries; b) many-to-many, knowledge transfer and networking actions: knowledge transfer and networking opportunities created for beneficiaries with investors, CE project promoters, and other stakeholders; 4) Replication: distilling lessons learnt and preparing the pathway for future replication through the exploitation key exploitable results: Step-by-Step Guide (K1) for de-risking of future CE investment projects; Policy recommendations (K2) for suitable policies for CE investments across Europe; Circular Investor guide (K3) for increasing investor trust; Community of Practice (K4), a knowledge exchange platform for CE investments promoters; Business cases (K5) to allow the replication of CE solutions and the process of accessing finance; Pipeline of CE investment opportunities (K6) for PDA support after the project.

Effective investment and financing opportunities for circular economy projects in Europe are still few and far in between. Investors need to gain trust in circular economy projects. Projects need to become less risky and bankable, based on new and re-designed finance solutions and business models. Transaction costs need to be decreased and the private finance community needs to be engaged to address legal, administrative and market challenges. The DEFINITE-CCRI project establishes a deal engine, providing technical, financial and circular economy expertise through local project development assistance in an unprecedented and streamlined process to cities, regions and project developers. The deal engine will be built with investors and finance partners and the goal to launch investments in four circular economy projects of up to EUR 20 million investment volume per project, amounting to a total portfolio volume of up to EUR 80 million. The DEFINITE-CCRI will demonstrate the bankability of high-impact circularity projects and increases maturity and investor trust in circular economy innovation. It closes the gap between project developers in cities and regions on one side, and investors and finance partners on the other. The DEFINITE-CCRI project co-creates and proves an end-to-end PDA process, aggregating risk-mitigation, EU Taxonomy compliance, circularity criteria and technical and financial engineering in a single project development service for the CCRI’s service portfolio. Partners commit to operate the deal-engine sustainably beyond the project lifetime. This will inject the financial, technical and managerial know-how into urban circular transitions and ultimately contribute to lower virgin non-renewable material use, lower GHG emissions and more just and inclusive circular employment in line with the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Bioeconomy Strategy.

Remanufacturing is an important component of a resource efficient manufacturing industry. By keeping components and their embodied material in use for longer, significant energy use and emissions to air and water can be avoided. In addition to environmental benefits, remanufacturing provides opportunities for the creation of highly skilled jobs and economic growth. Despite these accolades, remanufacturing is an undervalued part of the industrial landscape and an under-recognised sustainable industry. Activity to promote remanufacturing is currently undertaken at a sectoral level for some product sectors. In Europe, unlike in the recycling industry, cross-sectoral activities to facilitate knowledge transfer and promote the industry do not exist. Our major competitors, the US and China, already have a common vision and strategy for remanufacturing within their industrial landscape. An outcome may be that European remanufacturing could lose competitiveness against these more organised sectors. As a result, there is a real need for a European-level solution to encourage remanufacturing throughout Europe. This proposal sets out the formation, coordination and support of a European Remanufacturing Network (ERN) over a project period of two years, which aims to: • encourage new businesses to take up remanufacturing • help existing remanufacturers improve their operations • improve competitiveness of remanufacturers domestically and internationally • create greater awareness of remanufacturing in the public and policy makers to increase demand and address barriers. The aims of the ERN will be achieved through: • mapping out the current remanufacturing landscape in Europe and estimating its future potential • disseminating best practice in remanufacturing business models, processes and design • providing industry with remanufacturing knowledge, tools and partnerships • undertaking an information campaign to raise the profile of the European remanufacturing industry.

CCRI CoPs' goal is to strengthen and complement the CCRI, in order to foster the implementation of Circular Systemic Solutions (CSS) in European cities and regions. Based on an initial scoping and needs assessment, the project will set up at least eight Communities of Practice – working groups of ambitious European cities and regions collaborating on key topics related to circular economy implementation. The project will also deepen the CCRI knowledge on circular economy, with the production of highly impactful case studies on CSS, a series of white papers on key Research & Innovation (R&I) gaps, guidance documents for practitioners at the local and regional level, as well as recommendations for EU and national policy makers, to unlock barriers faced local and regional authorities. By establishing a series of mechanisms such as capacity building sessions, study visits and a twinning program, the project will stimulate knowledge transfer, pear learning and capacity building towards an audience of cities and regions, including but not limited to CCRI Pilots and Fellows. The consortium will also provide continued support to the CCRI’s Thematic Working Groups (TWGs). All dissemination and communication activities will use the CCRI existing umbrella identity and existing communication channels. The project will endeavour to strengthen links with the European ecosystem and to promote the circular economy towards all European cities and regions. Those activities will be done in close coordination with the CCRI-CSO and DG RTD, to take advantage of potential synergies and importantly to prevent any overlaps and duplications with the work of the CSO. Led by ICLEI Europe, the project brings together 11 leading organisations active throughout Europe and with considerable expertise and experience in supporting cities and regions’ sustainability transition.

The overall aim of BUS-GoCircular is to address and overcome the challenges of the stimulation of demand for green energy skilled workforce, along with hands-on capacity building to increase the number of skilled workforce across the value chain. BUS-GoCircular will achieve this objective by developing and implementing a circular construction skills qualification framework with a focus on multifunctional green roofs, façades and interior elements. In addition, the project is strengthened by application of successful train-the-trainer methods and techniques for upskilling both demand and supply sides of the value chain involved. For stimulation of demand for sustainable energy skills, specific activities concerning companies, real estate, home owners and local authorities will be developed, including support towards legislative changes through circular green procurement and recognition of skills. Implementation will be carried out at country-specific and regional levels, based on a blend of measures to stimulate demand complemented with hands-on and practical upskilling of local and regional training capacity and workforce. In this way, broad engagement of SMEs will be ensured. BUS-GoCircular is formed by a coalition of former BUILD UP Skills and Construction Skills projects strengthened by partners understanding the demand side. The partners believe that by working together, the national implementation plans and developed means will improve and become more attractive and effective. BUS-GoCircular is strengthened by several EU umbrella organisations and a diverse group of supporters to underpin the support base, to co-create when tackling the challenges and to communicate and disseminate successes and lessons learned.