- Participants may submit their applications by Wednesday 13 October. Thirty out of them will be selected.
- Info Day 3 featured the contribution of representatives from the European Commission and members of the CircularInnoBooster consortium, who are committed to the environment and sustainability in the fashion and textile industries.
- Panelists discussed the requirements and answered questions.
[Brussels. 17/09/2021] Out of all the applications submitted to CirCoAX, thirty of them will be selected to receive €12,000 to boost their innovative projects towards changing the fashion and textile industries. CirCoAX held on Wednesday 15 September its third Info Day to answer all potential questions attendees may have. This online event featured participants from the European Commission – which is co-financing this initiative by 75% – as well as the partners of CirCoAX by CircularInnoBooster. The speakers offered an overview on the requirements to submit applications, and several rooms were set-up to answer the questions of participants in different languages. The deadline of the submission of applications is 13 October at 17:00 CET. Over 100 participants registered for the event, which was attended by more than 60 people.
This Info Day, moderated by Finnova Foundation CEO Juanma Revuelta, showed the key aspects of this European project, which focuses on promoting a regenerative model to re-invent the textile and fashion industries to make them more sustainable. The chosen candidates will not only receive financial aid to scale up their ideas, but they will also receive mentoring sessions thanks to an expert team from CirCoAX as well as external mentors. CirCoAX will also put at the disposal of participants networking sessions so that their proposals can be known at an EU level.
Christos Kyriatzis, Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission’s DG GROW, stressed the need to create new circular economy models in the textile sector to create sustainable projects which meet the objectives of the European Green Deal.
José Francisco García, Director of IED Innovation Lab, commented on the importance of synergies to facilitate the creation of innovative projects and processes capable of changing this sector. According to him, “Every partner is instrumental in attaining real, tangible and sustainable results”.
Sharam Yalda and Samy Kazemi, the coordinators of CirCoAX by CircularInnoBooster, and Paloma García, General Director of The Circular Project, outlined the technical features and requirements for this call. They welcomed the work of participants, whose projects seek to “speed up the transition to a different business model generating a sustainable ecosystem”, said Mr Yalda.
The floor was then given to the rest of the partners who make up the project so that they could give an account of their experience and to assist those who are interested in the call. They included Brieuc Saffré, Co-founder and General Director of Circulab; David Allo, Sustainaility Head in Texfor, Finnova CEO Juan Manuel Revuelta, and Jesse B.T MARSH, a strategic partner of CirCoAX and the representative of the TCBL Foundation.
This presentation was followed by roundtables where experts answered the questions of candidates. These roundtables were held in English, French and Spanish. The English room was run by Sharam Yalda, Juan Manuel Revuelta, and Elena Mas, Project Officer at Finnova Foundation. The Spanish roundtable featured Adrián Noheda, Director for Innovation and Internationalisation of SMEs at Finnova, Paloma García, David Allo, and José Francisco García. The third room (French) was coordinated by Samy Kazemi, HumanNation, and Natalia Cediel, Institutional Relations and Communication Officer at Finnova.
This set-up was meant to offer more information to participants to draw their attention and to give a push to their new innovative projects in this sector.
About CirCoAX
CirCoAX (a European accelerator) and its project entitled ‘CircularInnoBooster Fashion and Textile (F&T) is part of the EU’s COSME programme. It has an initial duration of two years, a €1,128,000 budget and it is co-financed by 75% by the European Commission. Its goal is to reward sustainable projects upholding the circular economy and to make their processes more eco-friendly and social innovation-minded.
Led by IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) together with Finnova Foundation, Texfor, Circulab and The Circular Project with HumanNation, CircularInnoBooster’s aim is to transform the highly polluting textile and fashion industries via innovation. It pursues to foster entrepreneurship to create business models based on the circular economy, thus turning SMEs and start-ups into circular and sustainable enterprises.
The project seeks to become a framework for a complete transformation of the textile and fashion industry – from raw materials to the end of the lifetime of products, thus resolving the structural issues the conventional industry poses.
About COSME
COSME is the programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises by the European Commission’s Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME).
This programme assists SMEs to develop their business models, to obtain funds and to internationalise. COSME also supports public administrations to enhance the entrepreneurial environment and to facilitate the economic growth of the EU. During the funding period of 2014-2020, this programme allocated €2.3 billion to support SMEs.
About IED
Istituto Europeo di Design is an academic institution working in education, training, and the research of fashion, design, visual communication, and management. IED has offices in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), Italy (Milan, Rome and five other cities) and Brazil (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro). IED works in several EU and COSME countries through collaborations and arrangements with institutions, business support organisations, teachers, experts, and mentors. IED has an extensive network of connections in the fashion and textile sectors (F&T).
About Finnova Foundation
Finnova is a foundation working to promote and to develop innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit across the EU. Headquartered in Brussels, it works and engages in partnerships in all EU countries. Finnova’s experience in leading communication activities and disseminating European projects is coupled with an extensive expertise in creating enterprises and entrepreneurial support programmes such as accelerators, incubators, and events.
About Texfor
Texfor is a leading textile association in Spain with roughly 400 members. Founded in 2010 and based in Catalonia, Texfor brings together enterprises from the textile value chain, i.e. from weaving to fabrics as well as accessories, textile finishing, printing, and dyeing for the dressmaking industry, household textiles and technical and industrial applications. Texfor has extensive expertise as it has worked in relevant expert committees at an EU level: university and professional training, developing financial capacities, cross-cutting collaboration, fostering RDI, specialised services, and leadership in sustainability focused on the circular economy.
About Circulab
Circulab is a laboratory and design studio specialising in developing transformation methods, tools and programmes to help enterprises adopt circular and sustainable business models. Circulab has designed a number of tools to implement a circular business model in enterprises. It works in 23 countries – 9 out of them in the EU – and it supports projects via 60 independent entrepreneurial consultants. It applies circular methodology and tools.
About The Circular Project co-designed with HumanNation
TCP (The Circular Project) favours and promotes a circular and sustainable fashion in different areas, offering the fashion industry a communication strategy based on a cross-cutting and systemic approach towards the circular economy. TCP combines social, ethical, environmental and economic aspects, and has a strong presence and connections in the sustainable fashion world. TCP has promoted the Circular Sustainable Fashion Week Madrid, a one-of-a-kind event, and also serves as HQ for the Spanish Association for the Sustainability, Innovation and Circularity in the Fashion Industry. TCP is also ambassador of Sannas (Triple Bottom Line Business Association) and has collaborated in a wide array of Spanish, European and Latin American institutions and enterprises.
The Circular Project works with Human Nation to co-design and develop CirCoAX. HumanNation is a consultancy enterprise specialising in the development of transformative and disruptive ecosystems of innovation and companies for the ‘new economy’. It is based on the fourth economic sector, the systemic thinking, and co-creation. It raises awareness in organisations and ecosystems to respect the planetary boundaries and the social fabric, creating resilient local economies with a global perspective.
