Throughout the first 6 months of the project, Up2Circ consortium has developed a holistic advisory methodology and toolset to mobilise, advise, train and support SMEs with the uptake of circular business model, product and process innovation. The application of advisory tools along the “Up2Circ client journey to circularity” was then tested in practice in a pilot run with SMEs from the 7 partner regions since M7, including the Up2Circ pilot call. The first 7 implementation projects financed by Up2Circ FSTP funding are currently ongoing. Based on feedback from participating SMEs and on the experiences gathered by Up2Circ circularity advisors in the pilot run, the methodology and tools have been thoroughly revised and updated before the project was extended geographically to EU27. Up to now, 340 SMEs have actively used Up2Circ methodology and tools to explore opportunities of circular innovation for their company and to increase their knowledge and skills on circular innovation. 377 SMEs have applied for financial support to realise their circular transition project.
Within the first 19 months of the project, all activities have been carried out following the spirit to increase efficiency of the EU innovation support ecosystem. To make best use of existing results, the consortium performed an intense scanning and mapping exercise in M1-5 to select suitable existing online resources and tools for SME advisory on circular innovation. The Up2Circ Academy (
https://up-s-site.thinkific.com/courses/your-first-course(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)) integrates a multitude of contents and tools published by diverse institutions, projects and organisations, gives them visibility and eases access for SMEs to the many excellent online materials on circular economy. Within M1-6 all partners analysed which existing communication channels could be used best to reach out to SMEs with Up2Circ project and established cooperation with regional stakeholders for targeted dissemination of project information to SMEs. To make better use of complementary strengths, Up2Circ consortium mapped relevant stakeholders of EU innovation support ecosystem, invited them to a virtual ideation workshop and connected closer in bilateral meetings. Relevant offers from stakeholders are integrated in Up2Circ Academy contents and Up2Circ events calendar, recommendations to suitable advisory or networking services offered by stakeholders are included in feedback meetings.
A first set of multiplier trainings has been carried out during M11-13, reaching 161 EU business advisors from 26 countries. Most participants have been SME advisors of Enterprise Europe Network as three virtual trainings have been offered by Up2Circ in cooperation with the Networks Thematic Group Sustainability. All participants of the trainings as well as further interested stakeholders have been provided with access to the “Up2Circ circularity toolbox” containing an advisory guideline on Up2Circ client journey, the Up2Circ info kit and the Up2Circ Circularity Assessment tool. Many of the trained advisors subsequently used these tools to advise their clients, which resulted in a high number of SMEs from all European countries that registered for Up2Circ Academy and that submitted applications to Up2Circ first open call.
