The Interplatform Group GIEC highlights the potential of the circular economy in Spain and the importance of public-private collaboration to promote it

The GIEC Interplatform Group held the 'Challenges and Opportunities for Public-Private Collaboration' conference in the circular economy to publicize the main lines of aid in R&D&I and share success stories and proposals for innovative projects
Representatives of the State Research Agency (AEI), the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) and the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge took part in the event.

Madrid, November 14, 2024. Yesterday the annual conference of the State Research Agency took place Circular Economy Interplatform Group (GIEC), under the motto 'Challenges and Opportunities for Public-Private Collaboration' in the field of the circular economy. The event provided key information on public-private funding calls within the framework of the State Research Agency (AEI), the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) and the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, in addition to presenting proposals and success stories with the aim of inspiring new initiatives.

Paloma Pérez, coordinator of the Spanish Biocircularity Technology and Innovation Platform (BIOPLAT), presented the 30 Platforms that are part of the GIEC Group, which represent strategic sectors in Spain for the transition to a circular economy and contribute to the resolution of social challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals. She explained that the GIEC Interplatform Group promotes the circular economy through public-private collaboration and R&D&I, contributes to the implementation of national and European strategies in this area, encourages the launch of collaborative R&D&I projects, and carries out various activities such as position papers, conferences and outreach initiatives.

Mª Ángeles Ferre, Head of the Scientific-Technical Thematic Programs Subdivision of the State Investigation Agency, addressed the current public-private collaboration grants aimed at financing experimental development projects in collaboration between companies and research organisations. This call, with a total budget of 320 million euros, seeks to advance the incorporation of scientific-technical knowledge and results that allow the validation and pre-competitive development of new technologies, products and services that stimulate the generation of a critical mass in R&D&I for their application, transfer, search for solutions and generation of results in technological and innovation trajectories of companies and in the market. Ferre highlighted that these projects aim to mobilise private investment, generate employment, improve the technological balance of Spain and the competitiveness of the business fabric.

On behalf of the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), Lydia González, from the Climate area (Cluster 5) and PNC from the Environment area (Cluster 6) of Horizon Europe, and María José Tomás, from the Institutional Promotion and Territorial Cooperation department, delved into the different R&D&i funding opportunities of the entity, with the focus on “helping to grow and create the future”. They also detailed the possibilities that Horizon Europe offers for R&D&i projects in the circular economy, a cross-cutting area in the Strategic Plan 2025-2027 of this program, which has also gained weight in the new political period and in the priorities of the European Commission for the coming years. Alejandro Dorado, Commissioner for the Circular Economy, was in charge of providing the keys to the PERTE of Circular Economy of Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. Dorado stressed that the purpose of these grants is to “promote the sustainability and circularity of industrial and business processes to improve the competitiveness and innovation of the industrial fabric within the framework of a circular economy.” The commissioner stated that it is essential to promote the circular economy due to the current environmental need, the economic opportunity it represents, the job creation it generates and the strategic autonomy it entails for the country.

After each institutional presentation, a space was opened to share success stories and proposals presented in each of the calls for proposals by these organizations, with the participation of a total of ten entities to present the following projects:

FUTURECORK: a transformative project for the promotion of bioeconomy in the cork sector. Mariola Sánchez. CIFOR-INIA-CSIC
WILDBIOPHAGE: New probiotics and phages to combat the incidence of Enterococcus in poultry farming. Sandra Sevilla-Navarro. CECAV
CHITINMETICS: valorisation of chitosan for the production of sustainable plastics for the cosmetics industry and for ecologising the properties of cosmetics. Sofia Garro. Tebrio
ACICORK (climate-smart cork oak forests): tools for forest management and monitoring, cork characterization and the fight against drought (P. cinnamomi). Mariola Sánchez. CIFOR-INIA-CSIC
ECOVir-Mg: Feasibility of a circular process for manufacturing magnesium alloy profiles and tubes from recycled machining chips. Gerardo Garcés. CENIM-CSIC
REBIOWIND: biological recycling of composite materials for the energy and aeronautical sectors. Noelia Mendoza. Aragon Institute of Technology (ITA)
MEDINSPAIN: innovative methods and national value chain for the circularity of energy storage systems, including classification, reuse, recycling and automation for the recovery of strategic materials. Oscar Miguel. CIDETEC
RENEMAG: Recycling and New Circular Economy of MAGnetic materials from the wind sector. Ibon Ocaña. CEIT-BRTA
ECOPIGMENT: Manufacturing of Fe-based pigments from metallurgical waste for use in microcements. Vicente Sales. AIDIMME
REGATEX – Pilot plant for the recovery of textile fibres and INNCENSAS – Project for the recovery of ash from the boiler of the Pontevedra biofactory. Antonio Casal. ENCE Energy and Cellulose