C-VoUCHER is looking for European SMEs willing to adopt new circular business models

Submitted by William Fox on 31 July 2019

C-VoUCHER will fund SMEs’ plans to adopt circular-economy business models. 18 SMEs will be selected to work with dedicated Designers-in-Residence and top business mentors during a customised 3-month program.

C-VoUCHER is the first pan-European initiative that will distribute up to €15k to SMEs developing a feasibility plan to adopt the concept of Circular Economy. The goal is to reshape and redesign linear value chains into circular ones.

The first open call for adopters of C-VoUCHER is calling for SMEs active in Health, Blue Growth, Textile, Agri-Food and Manufacturing domains that want to develop a circular feasibility plan to transform their current linear value chains into circular ones.

SMEs applying for this call will be stimulated to create innovative circular solutions based in:

• The Circularity Solutions developed within the 1st Circularity Open Call of C-VoUCHER (in case that the applicant’s business profile and circular potential is aligned with one of the SMEs that are currently participating in the acceleration programme).

• A new circular business model based on a circular business block (i.e. circular economy business models in Industrial Symbiosis, Material resource efficiency, Renewable energy and energy efficiency, Biological products, Product life cycle extension, Performance economy, Sharing economy and Platform economy.

18 selected SMEs will get  €15,000 (a lump sum to cover the costs of participation in the programme) and access to the Value Chain Replication Programme (up to 3 months in total length), which includes:

•          Up to 1 month of Designer-in-Residence support for the creative phase of the development of the feasibility plan.

•          Support in identifying further funding to implement that plan, through coaching sessions with public and private funding experts.

 

Adopter SMEs interested in being adopters and designing circular prosperity solutions can apply for the 1st adopters' open call of C-VoUCHER before October 31st, 2019.

C-VoUCHER is the first pan-European initiative, funded by the European Commission, aiming at the adoption of the concept of the Circular Economy to transform linear value chains (cradle to waste) towards circular models (cradle to cradle®). The project is distributing a total of €4.2m to SMEs through 4 open calls.

The project will leverage a total of €6 million of complementary funding for selected SMEs provided by private and public investors. A “Circular Design Toolkit for Regions” will also be produced to mainstream the methodology in other EU Regions.

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