The Competence Center for Circular Economy accelerates Finland’s transition to circular economy
Information about the project
The Climate & Circular Economy Factory project is run by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in co-operation with Jyväskylä UAS and Novia UAS.
The aim of the project is to create a shared digital platform, which will support the needs of Finnish businesses in the adoption of circular economy business models.
The Competence Center for Circular Economy serves businesses and their network by offering expert advice, services and general information to promote profitable and sustainable growth.
The creation of the competence center is supported by funds from Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. This government aid is aimed at accelerating the development of business ecosystems and competence centers.
The project collects and makes visible the work already undertaken by circular economy forerunners and research institutes. All projects and universities of applied sciences promoting circular economy will be invited to take part in the Competence Centre.
Why the Competence Center for Circular Economy is needed
The competence center for circular economy offers advice and support for businesses tackling concrete challenges in adopting circular economy principles.
The support may be welcomed particularly by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) whose resources for transforming their business may be scarce.
The Competence Center also aims to invite the subcontractor network of the SMEs to participate in the center’s creation and development, which aims to make circular economy profitable for the whole business ecosystem.
Contact us
Would you like to join our expert network or help us in creating the Competence Center? Please give your contact details here and we will get in touch.
The timetable of the project
The project started in October 2021.
The steering group that oversees the project’s progress consists of members from these organizations:
The Chemical Industry Federation of Finland, Finnish Forest Industries, Suomen Yrittäjät, University of Eastern Finland, VTT, Sitra, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland
- Lapland UAS, Tampere UAS, VAMK, Savonia, Centria, HAMK, Turku UAS, LAB UAS, SAMK, OAMK, Novia, JAMK and Haaga-Helia
January – May 2022: Acquiring current information about the circular economy knowledge base and needs of Finnish companies. Defining the functions and content of the Competence Centre for Circular Economy.
Over the spring of 2022
- Representatives of 45 companies were interviewed to learn about their readiness and needs in introducing circular economy principles in their business
- Research data for the Competence Centre for Circular Economy was collected
- The portfolios of expertise of the three participating universities of applied sciences were compiled
- The initial specifications of Competence Centre digital platform were done
June – December 2022: The development of Circular Economy business models and the pilot of web service
Over the summer and autumn 2022 3-6 new models will be developed together with the companies that participate in the pilot testing. During this time Hackathons and smaller workshops will be arranged in which the participants can learn about their own process of circular economy adoption and receive concrete suggestions for making the next steps in the transition. The acquired information will be analyzed and the best practices shared between the participants.
January – June 2023: The launch of the competence center and providing its services at a national level
Over the winter and spring of 2023, a digital competence center will be launched in three languages (Finnish, Swedish and English.) The competence center will become part of the providers service selection. The network of experts will expand and co-operation with other external projects begins. The advice on how to use the center’s services will be given and the center’s brand will be strengthened.
