3R - Connect

The proposed project seeks to support the development of interconnected innovation ecosystems across the EU with a starting point in three focus regions; the Greater Copenhagen region, Flanders and Northern Portugal. To this end, the partners will apply the S3-Innovation Model for development of Transformational Actions towards a circular economy, specifically focusing on actions for Reducing, Reusing and Rethinking resources within three sectors; plastics, textiles and construction. This methodology will be employed to map and analyse regional capacities and potentials for transformation through the involvement of quadruple helix focus groups to include priorities from different actors in the innovation ecosystems. Based on these mappings, the partners will identify cross-regional actions with potential to drive circular transformation across European innovation ecosystems. To enable concrete collaborations, the partners will develop one joint cross-regional action plan for collaborative actions in each of the three focus sectors, particularly focusing on actions for ‘reusing’, ‘reducing' and ‘rethinking’ resources. To prepare the ground for future implementation of the joint action plans, the partners will focus heavily on dissemination across EU territories and capacity building for ecosystem stakeholders. Moerover, the consortium will establish dedicated virtual collaboration spaces and communities on an already existing virtual platform to convene ecosystem stakeholders around project activities concerning circularity within plastics, textiles and construction. Upon the post-project implementation of the action plans, the proposed project is expected to contribute to increased market uptake and adoption of innovative solutions through concrete actions for connecting innovators to public buyers. Moreover, the project is expected to facilitate an infrastructure which enables closer connections between research institutions and innovators.