The RESOURCE project developed a comprehensive framework for supporting circular economy (CE) investment projects in Aragon, creating replicable methodologies scalable across Europe. The project established a complete pipeline from project identification through investment readiness with significant technical achievements.
The project successfully selected 13 pilot projects through the Aragon Circular Stamp initiative and CEEIAragon's network, with 9 remaining active at the end of the project. A RESOURCE-specific selection methodology was developed and tested, incorporating criteria for financial viability and sustainability.. The team designed a one-stop-shop business support model with single contact coordination across all partners, while an investors committee and Advisory Board helped designing financing solutions to accelerate investment readiness.
Partners conducted rigorous multi-criteria evaluation of selected CE projects across 6 dimensions: circularity potential, Technological and market Potential, Financial and Managerial evaluation, High level impact and excellence. The developed framework includes technical, legal, environmental, and economic considerations for closed-loop resource management assessment. A comprehensive methodology was created through consortium-pilot interaction, with pilots prepared for investor pitching and demo days events such as Transfiere.
The Investment Experts Committee confirmed that business cases and market positioning are primary investor criteria, particularly value chain positioning. Individual pilot meetings revealed common preferences for specialized investors balancing profitability with environmental impact. Most CE pilots demonstrated "Double Face Business Models" addressing both waste input markets and recycled output markets.
RESOURCE delivered 25 identified best practices through dedicated sessions, establishing optimal market introduction strategies. The validated framework successfully bridges CE project development and investment readiness, providing European regions with proven methodologies for circular economy investment ecosystem development combining comprehensive assessment capabilities with innovative and extended financing mechanisms.
