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A key feature of CIRCULÉIRE is our €1.5m ring-fenced innovation fund (2020-2022) which seeks to support industry-led circular economy innovation demonstration projects which will accelerate the transition towards a circular economy in Ireland. Following international peer review, we are delighted to announce the circular innovation demonstration projects which have been awarded funding in CIRCULÉIRE’s 2020 Call for Proposals are both led by Founding Member WEEE Ireland. Below Elizabeth O’Reilly, Compliance & Membership Manager, WEEE Ireland describes the innovation demonstrations that have been awarded funding: “WEEE Ireland are very excited to be kicking off two circular economy innovation demonstration projects in collaboration with the White Goods Association, Fast-Track into IT (FIT), KMK Metals Recycling and Wisetek, funded by the CIRCULÉIRE 2020 Innovation Fund in 2021. These innovation demonstrators will help the transformation of our successful recycling scheme to a more circular one, supporting our 1100+ Irish electrical and battery industry Members on their own circular economy journeys. These innovation projects are in completely different areas – the first one supports the White Goods Sector to develop training programmes and engage more repair engineers in life extension of appliances and therefore waste prevention with a circular economy and e-waste management ethos. The second tackles the challenge posed by waste long life lithium batteries (LLLB), such as those used in electric vehicles in Ireland, and will explore opportunities to manage these in a more circular and sustainable way, including repurposing and reuse of LLLBs in other industrial settings. We have just finished our first year of membership of the CIRCULÉIRE platform and as Founding Industry Members we have found it an invaluable resource us as we face the positive challenges ahead for our Scheme and the electrical and battery industry under new Circular Economy, Green Deal and Sustainability developments in Ireland. We look forward to what 2021 will bring and continuing to collaborate with other industry members in this innovative cross-sectoral network” Congratulations to WEEE Ireland, White Goods Association, Fast-Track into IT (FIT), KMK Metals Recycling and Wisetek and CIRCULÉIRE look forward to opening the 2021 call for innovation projects in the new year!

On Friday 27th November 2020, IMR’s flagship circular economy initiative, CIRCULÉIRE – The National Platform for Circular Manufacturing was officially launched by Minister Eamon Ryan, Department of Environment, Climate & Communications (DECC). Over three hundred people from around Ireland and further afield attended this virtual launch which was hosted by Maia Dunphy and included key notes from: Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Adriaan Palm, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ireland, Freek Van Eijk, CEO of Holland Circular Hotspot, CIRCULÉIRE’s Strategic Partners and IMR. We are delighted to see the momentum behind the transition to a circular economy growing in Ireland evidenced by the strong interest in CIRCULÉIRE’s launch and the event’s coverage in an Irish Times article on the same day (see link below in “Learn More”). CIRCULÉIRE aims to help Irish companies reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation by supporting them to implement circular business models and capture “circular advantage”. If you would like to know how to get involved, please contact us at circuleire@imr.ie. Learn More

CIRCULÉIRE is looking assist circular economy start-ups and businesses that are revenue generating and scaling to - develop their solutions such that they can help make a systemic impact on our economy and consumer behaviour and drive Irelands transition to net-zero carbon circular economy. Our 2020 call for applications to our “New Venture’s Innovation & Mentoring Program” is now open for new ventures that are at a high technology readiness level (TRL) i.e. close to market or recently launched on the market. Applications close on Tuesday 8th December 2020 – submissions via circuleire@imr.ie. Benefits for participating companies include: - Business coaching & trainingMentoring by industry experts and experienced founders - Validate your product/technology and market - Find your product-market fit - Understand how to gain access to MNC and SME supply-chains through CIRCULÉIRE’s network - Access to local ecosystems and infrastructure to drive growth and internationalisation - Get investor ready and establish contact to investors & VCs/funds - Receive € 5,000 in equity-free funding for your new venture Click on the following links to download: “Call for Applicants” “Application Form”

IMR in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications (DECC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EIT Climate-KIC and Founding Industry Members are pleased to announce the official launch (virtual) of Ireland’s 1st Circular Economy Innovation Network on Friday 27th November 2020. Join us for the Official Launch with Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communication, event compere Maia Dunphy and special guests to learn how you can capture circular advantage for your business with Ireland’s 1st Circular Economy Hotspot. Register Here

Ahead of our official launch on 27th November 2020, CIRCULÉIRE are proud to be featured in the latest Sunday Business Post Special Report on the circular economy opportunity for Ireland which went to press on Sunday 8th November 2020. In addition to the coverage of CIRCULÉIRE – The National Platform for Circular Manufacturing which is Ireland’s 1st circular economy innovation network articles in this special report included: Coming full circle will boost GDP by €1.65bn – on how the government of Ireland are spearheading this transition Wasting no time to find new ways of cleaning up – exploring the positive changes in the field of waste management are a result of local, regional, national and European action plans and directives Circular economy benefits bring business round to sustainability – exploring BITC Ireland’s members circular economy activities. Learn more

CIRCULÉIRE is proud to be involved in Irish Science Week 2020 where we will be participating in multiple events highlighting the benefits of the circular economy. Science Week is celebrating its 25th anniversary from the 8th to the 15th of November 2020. It aims to make science accessible to a larger part of the population by having scientists present their research through a variety of events. This year’s edition is named “Science Week – Choosing Our Future”. On Monday 9th November Romain Couture from the CIRCULÉIRE team will join a team of IMR researchers in a live Q&A called “Geeks Unleashed” with students from over 60 primary and secondary schools from around the country. As part of this engagement, CIRCULÉIRE has developed a virtual workshop called “Generation_Circular” which takes students (aged 12-16) on a journey to understand circular economy and sustainability through exploring the impact of everyday items like a smart-phone. We have 170 middle schools signed up representing nearly 2,500 students! On Wednesday 11th November, Dr Geraldine Brennan will present the case for embedding circular economy principles in the Irish economy as we #BuildBackBetter as part of the 2020 “Choosing Our Future Online Forum” which will facilitate a nationwide is a nationwide, large-scale debate inviting policymakers, experts, and citizens to identify the next steps to be taken during the COVID-19 crisis and what’s next for our society. Learn more

The OECD Programme on the Circular Economy in Cities and Regions supports cities and regions in their transition towards a circular economy through multi-level dialogues to identify challenges and opportunities; peer-to-peer learning and key indicators for decision making and evaluation of the circular economy strategies. Following a global survey and stakeholder dialogues in a range of case study cities and regions, on Wednesday 4th November, at a side event of the 2020 Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference organised by the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, the OECD will launch its’ synthesis report on “The Circular Economy in Cities and Regions” which includes a case study on Ireland. Dr Geraldine Brennan, IMR’s Circular Economy Lead has been invited to participate in a roundtable of innovators from the Case Studies of the OECD Programme on the Circular Economy in Cities and Regions at this virtual launch event. By attending this event, you can: Learn about circular economy initiatives and practices from 51 cities and regions that completed the OECD Survey on the Circular Economy in Cities and Regions Discover the path to a circular economy via the Case Studies carried out in inGroningen (Netherlands), Umeå (Sweden), Valladolid (Spain), and continuing inGranada (Spain), Glasgow (UnitedKingdom) and Ireland Discover the checklist for Action and the OECD Scoreboard on the Governance of the Circular Economy in Cities and Regions Learn more

CIRCULÉIRE, the National Platform for Circular Manufacturing, are proud to have been actively engaged in Irish Bioeconomy Week 2020 and featured in the Irish Examiner for this work. During Irish Bioeconomy Week 2020, which is a national, annual event, CIRCULÉIRE in collaboration with the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation (IBF), presented the key insights from our 2020 Circular Bioeconomy Thematic Working Group process to the CIRCULÉIRE Network. The “CircularBioeconomy2020” webinar shared insights related to the business opportunities in the Irish circular bioeconomy landscape based on a four-month working group process which took place between June and September 2020. “CircularBioeconomy2020” report curates and leverages the knowledge and expertise from the wide-range of panel participants which included academia, consultancies and policy-makers from around the country. Additionally, Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR), the secretariat of CIRCULÉIRE, was also featured during the Irish Bioeconomy Week as part of the EPA’s Green Enterprise Webinar Series 2020 for their SymbioBeer project, which aims at demonstrating the viability of an industrial symbiosis in Longford between Panelto Foods and St Mels Brewery (see Irish Times coverage of the SymbioBeer project here). Learn more

Every year, the European circular economy community from businesses, public authorities, NGOs to knowledge communities and civil society organisations gathers to discuss the transition to a circular economy. It is the flagship event of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, a joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). Day 1 of the Conference (3 November), hosted by the Commission, will familiarise you with the new EU Circular Economy Action Plan and discuss its implementation. The potential of the circular economy for a green recovery will also be covered in the sessions. Interact and exchange with the panelists during the plenaries broadcasted from Commission’s Charlemagne building and contribute online to the thematic online parallel sessions. Join the EECSC in the first #EUCircularTalk, a new feature of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, to exchange on the transition to a circular economy with a high-level Commission’s representative. Day 2 (4 November) of the conference, hosted by the EESC, will focus on stakeholder views in a series of online workshops highlighting successes and identifying new challenges. Eight workshops will cover circular themes ranging from construction to food waste to procurement and roadmapping. Learn more

Circular Bioeconomy 2020 is the result of CIRCULÉIRE – The National Platform for Circular Manufacturing‘s 2020 Thematic Working Group exploring the circular bioeconomy opportunities that can deliver significant CO2 and waste reductions in Ireland. During Irish Bioeconomy Week 2020, IMR and IBF will launch the findings to the CIRCULÉIRE Network. This webinar will be for the CIRCULÉIRE Network but panel members from the wider innovation ecosystem who have participated in this thematic working group over the last four months will also join to share their reflections. This CIRCULÉIRE Network webinar will take place from 12-1pm on Wednesday the 21st October 2020. Learn more

Are you a programme owner or policy maker keen to advance the transition to a circular economy? Join us in building a circular economy joint programming platform to enable more cooperation! CICERONE is pleased to announce its third and final workshop, “Cooperation for circular economy research & innovation“, on 22nd and 29th of October 2020 from 14:00 to 16:30 CET. Participants are welcome to choose one of the two proposed dates, which will be identical events. The coordination of objectives and programmes of regional, national and European funding programmes, managed by a new joint platform, will be a fundamental driver for improving circular economy funding mechanisms – and therefore accelerate the uptake of the European Circular Economy Action Plan. This challenge will be addressed in an interactive and hands-on online workshop that will give participants insights into the future platform, and provide the opportunity to shape its services, ensuring they are in line with needs and expectations. CICERONE will be delivering the conference via EIT Climate-KIC’s learning management system, so that you can access the conference related materials, network with the conference participants and access all practical information related to the activity in one place. 14:00: Introduction (Plenary) 14:15: Session 1 (Break-out) This session will introduce the future platform for Circular Economy Research & Innovation funding, enabling an interactive discussion on the services and model of the platform. The session will be framed through guiding questions, with the support of facilitators, where participants can provide specific inputs to help shape the new EU Circular Cooperation Hub. 15:15: Session 2 (Break-out) This session will explore capacity building needs for public funders and policy makers to efficiently implement circular economy R&I joint programmes. Building on the previous session, we will work hand-in-hand with participants to identify requirements for the platform’s learning services, including a policy toolkit and a Online Massive Open Course (MOOC). 16:15 Conclusion (Plenary) Learn more

Bioeconomy Ireland Week is an annual week-long event held each October to highlight and raise awareness of Ireland’s rapidly growing bioeconomy. To mark Bioeconomy Week Ireland 2020, EPA are hosting a EPA’s Green Enterprise: Innovating for a Circular Economy* webinar where we will share the findings of the following three bioeconomy projects: 1. SymbioBeer Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) is facilitating an Industrial Symbiosis innovation demonstration pilot between St Mel’s Brewery and Panelto Food called SymbioBeer. Here waste bread is being utilised as a substitute for virgin malt to create a new beer and subsequently a new bread was produced using outputs from beer production closing multiple resource loops (bread to beer to bread). 2. Hexafly Hexafly developed an innovative way of breeding insects on an industrial scale utilizing Bio-Conversion technology to achieve maximum extraction of high value protein and oil products for the aquaculture, animal feed and plant nutrition industries. 3. CyberColloids The overall objective of this project was to evaluate the potential to recover and utilise the biomass generated in fruit and vegetable supply chains for the production of new food fibre ingredients This is a free online event which will take place via Microsoft Teams from 10am-11am on Thursday 22nd October. Following the presentations there will be an opportunity for Q&A. To register please email nwpp@epa.ie * Green Enterprise is an annual funding call to support innovators in Ireland to develop and demonstrate consumer and business solutions that will stimulate the circular economy. It is led by the EPA’s National Waste Prevention Programme. Learn more