On June 18-19, 2025, Maribor, Slovenia, hosted the 2nd General Assembly of the CircSyst project (HORIZON-CL6-2023-CIRCBIO-02), a transformative initiative accelerating Europe’s shift to a circular economy. Co-funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme (Grant No. 101135505) and supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI, Project Ref. 10115627), CircSyst—short for "Circular Systemic Solutions for Plastic, Packaging, Bio-Waste, and Water"—aligns with the European Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) to support cities and regions implement circular systemic solutions.
Held at the historic Judgement Tower, this milestone event united 32 project partners to review progress, share innovations, and drive sustainable solutions across three priority value chains: wastewater reuse, bio-waste valorization, and food packaging waste valorization.
Pioneering circular solutions across Europe
CircSyst is deploying cutting-edge technological and societal innovations through demonstrator sites in eight European regions: Valencia (Spain), Maribor (Slovenia), Flanders (Belgium), Gotland (Sweden), Päijät-Häme-Lahti (Finland), Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), Central Macedonia (Greece), and Central and East Hungary. These sites showcase scalable solutions to enhance resource efficiency, reduce waste, and promote circularity, directly supporting the European Circular Economy Action Plan.
The General Assembly, organized by Slovenian partners KIS, RDA Podravje, and Komunalno Podjetje Ptuj D.D. (PTUJ), opened with remarks from Dr. Joaquin Vilaplana, project coordinator from AIJU (Spain). Jan Wynarski from the CCRI Coordination and Support Office highlighted CircSyst’s alignment with Europe’s circular economy goals. Partners presented key updates, including advancements in market adoption strategies led by Isle Utilities.
Driving impact through collaborative exploitation and innovation
A cornerstone of CircSyst’s success lies in its robust exploitation activities, led by Isle Utilities (ISLE), to maximize the project’s impact and ensure the widespread adoption of its circular economy solutions. Represented by Dr. Blanca Antizar, Dr. Elvira Serra, and Dr. Wil Jones at the meeting, ISLE is spearheading collaborative co-design and co-working initiatives that foster seamless communication and knowledge exchange across the eight European demonstrator sites and the wider project ecosystem and value chain. By engaging key external stakeholders— including policymakers, funding bodies, financial organizations, and industry leaders—these activities accelerate technology transfer and promote the integration of CircSyst’s innovations into regional and European frameworks.
Dr. Elvira Serra shared progress on CircSyst’s hybrid co-creation webinar series, which unites demonstrator sites to co-develop solutions tailored to regional needs, ensuring scalability and relevance. This collaborative approach breaks down silos, enabling fluent communication and shared learning. Dr. Wil Jones emphasized, “Robust exploitation and intellectual property strategies are vital for scaling CircSyst’s innovations post-project, ensuring a seamless transition to market.” By prioritizing strategic partnerships and intellectual property management, ISLE is paving the way for sustainable market adoption, aligning with the European Circular Economy Action Plan and driving transformative impact across Europe’s circular economy landscape.
Day two highlights: Bioeconomy and Demonstrator Sites
On June 19, a panel moderated by Nuša Lazar (Urbact Lead Expert on Circular Economy) explored smart, sustainable resource use across European regions. Partners then visited two key sites: the Nigrad facility in Maribor, showcasing circular construction products from the Horizon 2020 CINDERELA project, and the CircSyst demonstrator site in Ptuj. At Ptuj, partners toured wastewater treatment facilities optimized for agricultural irrigation and horticulture growth systems cultivating crops like carrots, onions, peppers, and strawberries as part of circular solutions.
The Slovenian partners also facilitated participation in the 40th Assembly of European Regions (AER) on June 17, held concurrently in Maribor. This synergy enabled CircSyst partners to engage in high-level European policy discussions, amplifying the project’s impact.
What’s next?
As CircSyst surpasses its 12-month mark, demonstrator sites are refining technologies, methodologies, and market strategies tailored to regional circular economy needs. Over the next six months, partners will assess market fit, explore synergies, and prepare for initial market entry. The next General Assembly, hosted by LAB University of Applied Sciences and the University of Helsinki, will take place later this year in Helsinki, Finland. Stay tuned for updates on CircSyst’s journey toward systemic circular solutions.
About CircSyst
Co-funded by Horizon Europe and UKRI with a budget of €10.2 million, CircSyst (EU Grant No. 101135505 | UKRI Project Ref. 10115627) targets wastewater reuse, bio-waste valorization, and food packaging waste valorization. Coordinated by AIJU (Spain), the consortium includes research institutes, universities, regional authorities, private companies, and policy organizations. Partners are committed to delivering scalable, sustainable solutions for a circular Europe.
Partners include AIJU, ACTECO, AQUATEC, AIDIMME, Aquadin, Aquafin, Cabka, CERTH, DBH InnoHub, EPSAR, EURADA, HIDRAQUA, innoskart, Komunala, Agriculture Institute of Slovenia (KIS), LPernía, LAB University of Applied Sciences, Masoutis, Hungarian Economic Development Agency (MGFU), Region Gotland, Research Institute of Sweden (RISE), Plastimodul, Riba-roja del Túria, RDA Podravje, RIPAY, UgrinPack, University of Helsinki, Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE), VITO, ZSI (Centre for Social Innovation) and ISLE.
