CIRCULAR BRIDGE

Research area: Smart Design

Project code: 20379688

Language: English

Project description

SMEs and micro-enterprises face challenges in integrating circular economy principles and sustainable solutions into their business models. Transitioning to circular business models requires complex value chain ecosystems that do not follow national borders. New collaboration, knowledge sharing, and value chain thinking beyond traditional organisational and national boundaries are needed.

Business-promoting actors play a critical intermediary role in the SME transition. They are best positioned to translate cross-border knowledge into practical guidance for SMEs, but they need a shared, evidence-based foundation to do so. Cross-border cooperation allows the project to combine competencies, build a critical mass of knowledge, and transfer skills and insights.

Circular Bridge is the Interreg Aurora funded small-scale project between Finland and Sweden. The aim of the project is to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of business-promoting actors to support manufacturing SMEs and micro-enterprises in developing circular, sustainable, and value-oriented business models through servitization.

Total budget of the project is 39998 €. VAMK’s share of the budget is 19999 €. The project is funded by Interreg Aurora 25998 € and Lapin liitto 4900 €.

Goals

• Building a Shared Cross-Border Knowledge Base
  Developing a common foundation for understanding the needs and opportunities of manufacturing SMEs related to circular business models and servitization across the Finnish-Swedish border.
• Identifying SME Needs
  Mapping the needs, challenges, and opportunities of manufacturing SMEs and micro-enterprises in adopting circular business models and servitization.
• Developing a Circular Servitization Roadmap
  Creating a practical roadmap that provides business-promoting actors with guidance and tools to better support manufacturing SMEs in their circular transition.
• Disseminating Results and Supporting Uptake
  Sharing the roadmap and project results with key stakeholders through a final webinar and other communication channels to encourage their practical use beyond the project.

Results

Circular Bridge will develop a cross-border circular servitization roadmap that provides business-promoting actors, clusters, and industry associations with a practical framework for supporting manufacturing SMEs in their transition towards circular, sustainable, and value-oriented business models. The roadmap will translate shared knowledge and experiences from Finland and Sweden into practical guidance that reflects the business environments on both sides of the border.

The project will strengthen cross-border cooperation between the partner organisations and establish a shared knowledge base that will support SME development beyond the project lifetime. Both partners are committed to applying the roadmap in their future SME support activities, ensuring that the project’s results continue to benefit manufacturing SMEs across the Aurora programme area. The strengthened partnership will also provide a foundation for future cross-border cooperation and joint initiatives promoting circular and sustainable business development.

The roadmap and the project’s key findings will be presented through a final open webinar and disseminated via the partners’ communication channels, making the results accessible to business-promoting actors, clusters, industry associations, public authorities, and manufacturing SMEs. By strengthening knowledge exchange and cooperation across borders, Circular Bridge will contribute to a more effective support ecosystem for the circular transition of manufacturing SMEs.