Circular product development sometimes lacks the necessary expertise, but also the will. This is where the new EU project CURIOST comes in. Medium-sized companies in four key sectors in Central Europe are to be supported in sustainable product development. Eleven organizations from seven countries are taking part.

The background

The circular economy plays a decisive role in innovative and sustainable product development. The CURIOST project partners are convinced of this. They now want to enable SMEs and smaller large companies in Central Europe to fully exploit their potential in sustainable product development and take advantage of the corresponding business models. The project focuses on four key sectors in the partner regions: Mechanics and Mechatronics, Packaging Industry, Plastics Industry and Construction Industry.

The project team will proceed in two steps. First, a comprehensive strategy for circular product development will be developed with at least 140 companies from the project regions. In the second step, the consortium will translate this strategy into an action plan. This will show the regional political institutions how local companies can best be supported on the path to circular product development.

Project duration

01.06.2024 - 30.11.2026

Project partners

The consortium consists of seven countries and eleven organizations from Austria, Germany, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Slovakia.

- Business Upper Austria (AT)
- ConPlusUltra (AT)
- University of Economics in Bratislava (AK)
-Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Pécs- Baranya (HU)
- South Poland Cleantech Cluster (PL)
- STEP RI science and technology park of the University of Rijeka (HR)
-Development and Educational Centre for the Metal Industry - Metal Centre Čakovec (HR)
- MESAP Innovation Cluster (IT)
- Science and Technology Park - Envipark (IT)
- Bayern Innovativ (DE)
- Cluster of Environmental Technologies Bavaria (DE)