Agile Circular Competence Network

Background and goals

The principles of circular economy can be applied in wide range of process, business and service models throughout our society, and as a consequence the circular economy concept can be defined from many different perspectives). The transformation towards the eraof circular economy is challenging the currently identified business ecosystems and
creates potential for new business ecosystems and value chains. The partners’ knowledge about the wide and challenging subject is deep and multidisciplinary, which gives a great opportunity to develop
systemic understanding for selected applications and educational cases. Partners are networked extensively with different stakeholders in their own countries and internationally, which gives a promising
basis and excellent possibilities for successful project and many new initiatives. A networked approach is not only a good way to learn, it is also an excellent opportunity to use resources more efficiently. The aim of this project is innovative by combining private, public and higher education sectors and by combining
the knowledge from different technological (environment, energy, material, electrical, ICT) fields is to discuss the circular business models as well as the innovative e-learning methods and platforms for shared knowledge and co-creation.

Objectives and benefits

The aim of the project is to create a network-like model of cooperation, in which the main focus is on the lifelong learning in the field of industrial circular economy. Circular economy, aims to be one of the advanced drivers in the transformation for more sustainable future. Even industry is on the sectors is most affected by structural change, it also has the great amount of opportunities, in the transition to a carbon-neutral society. This is widely highlighted in global, EU and national policies. The new habits must be adopted for example to obtain ambitious EU's and Finland's goals to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure sustainable use of natures resources.

Results

The outcome of this project is the new and innovative learning methods and platforms, that are suitable for different actors in the field of industrial circular economy. During the project, at least one educational
training event will be held by each partner organization to promote continuous competence development, during which the material and methods produced will be documented. Materials will be available for
others also in the future. Through shared knowledge and expertise, the actors' own knowledge deepens, which offers new opportunities. The co-operation network is also developing common operational
concepts and educational entities, which will also be utilized further. Network will strengthen and expand the future Baltic-Nordic cooperation on circular economy topics within higher education and piloting/
experimental approach as well as generated new project cooperation ideas and plans.

Societal impact

The network is aiming to cooperate further in the field of higher education and aiming to work to develop methods of lifelong learning and innovation with the topic of circular economy with cross-sectoral approach.

Abstract

The project gathers up the Nordic-Baltic participants from organisations in the fields of higher education, private and public sector for discussing the viable and future techno-economical solutions on circular economy. The main objective is to share and increase knowledge on circular economy in the selected fields of private sector and focusing on industrial value chains. The participating organisations have existing knowledge and earlier experience on higher (also circular economy) education, applied research and piloting/experimental approaches. The main aims of the project are to combine the current multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral knowledge, to gather up a wider network for cooperation, to activate the discussion,to find new initiatives for piloting/experiments, study the best practices as well as to develop the agile knowledge and competence sharing methods for systemic cross-sectoral development involving the private and higher education sectors.