The transition towards CSSs is critical for achieving sustainable and resilient regional innovation ecosystems. Regional ecosystems still face systemic challenges that relate to limited cooperation amongst actors, fragile governance structures, and a lack of shared data and tools. To facilitate this transformation, there is an essential need for an integrated framework that addresses the complex interdependencies among policy, technology, and society, embracing a comprehensive "triple transition" that balances green sustainability, digital innovation, and social equity. Effective implementation requires robust tools to assess territorial metabolisms, manage critical resource flows, and harmonise the diverse needs of multi-stakeholder landscapes.
The CSSBoost project aims to bridge this "triple transition" gap. It accelerates the transition towards a circular economy by implementing and validating circular systemic solutions across diverse European pilot regions, targeting key CEAP sectors including agro-food, water, vehicles, and plastics. Aligned with the CCRI methodology, territorial metabolism analysis identified that infrastructure deficits and fragmented regulations create high compliance costs, significantly hindering the green transition. These challenges are compounded by social barriers, such as limited public acceptance of circular products and persistent digital divides that prevent SMEs and local communities from fully leveraging innovative solutions.
The project demonstrates technical feasibility and regulatory compliance in diverse operational contexts, from wastewater reuse for agriculture to high-quality plastic recycling and sustainable public fleet modernisation, to achieve targeted substantial impacts on the digital, environmental, circular, social innovation and policy aspects. Under this scope, a 70% increase in eco-friendly public transport vehicles in Lisbon, the recovery of 21 million m³/year of water for irrigation in Marche, and a shift to 100% recycled content in regional plastic waste management in the Black Forest are expected at the end of the project. Moreover, the valorisation of 100 tonnes of sheep wool and agricultural residues will improve the soil nutrients and moisture by 35% in the region of Crete. An interregional, digital-orientated pilot will ensure the scalability of the project’s CSSs. The deployment of the CSSBoost Digital Platform and Knowledge Center will facilitate the data-driven coordination and the replication of circular solutions across the European Research Area.
