DECISO will accompany the actions aiming to provide assistance for promoters in the development of financial schemes/programmes for projects on circular economy, based on the concept of Circular Economy Ecosystem (CEE), which implies mobilising local stakeholders and, when necessary, citizens, and scaling up the results from the local, to the national and European levels. The CEE approach will make it possible to deal with economic, organisational and cultural change through systemic solutions that involve all the players in the value chain of an asset and all those who can influence, even indirectly, its value. This approach also allows reducing risks for investors, because ecosystems with all their key factors, including geographic location, cultural factors and institutional support, actively help an innovation become successful. Since the paradigm of the Circular Economy Ecosystems can be declined in different ways, based on the objective of the initiative, the local context, the type of actors and the sector, the DECISO approach will be implemented in different local contexts and topics in order to produce guidelines that can facilitate the replicability of the initiatives put in place considering all the technical, economic, legislative, and social factors that can determine the success or failure of the initiatives. 

CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE

Hamburg

Alentejo, Western Macedonia, North-West Germany (Oldenburg-Ostfriesland), Hamburg municipality

DECISO will aim to provide assistance for promoters in the development of financial schemes/programmes for projects on circular economy, based on the concept of CEE, which implies mobilising local stakeholders and, when necessary, citizens, and scaling up the results from the local, to the national and European levels.

The operational objectives of the DECISO project are:

• To create multi actor synergetic communities in four pilots to favour the emergence of Circular Economy Ecosystems and connection with European initiatives and communities;
• To provide assistance to promoters to develop and launching circular economy projects and innovative financing schemes;
• To facilitate replicability of the circular economy projects and financing and develop/validate scalability plans.

The project is providing the following services. 

Hamburg (FHH): 

• Interactive design services, to engage, collaborate and share ideas for developing innovative projects for a more sustainable future (in the context of the Pop-up Circular Hub). 
• Services for the creation of new partnerships, accelerating the city's transition to a circular economy (also through the Pop-up Circular Hub). 

Alentejo region 

• Assistance/advisory services for the  
• Analysis of regulation for better develop circular economy 
• Monitoring the regional circular economy ecosystem 

Municipal District Heating Company (MDHA): 

• Feasibility studies and designs (both technical and financial aspects) for improving the use of biomass for district heating. 
• Technical assistance to the municipal district to study Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems for the district.  

Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV) 

• Supporting strategic project development by identifying and shaping rainwater harvesting initiatives aligned with regional and national water strategies.  
• Through its technical expertise, the pilot helps design innovative water use solutions and assess their feasibility.  
• Risk identification and mitigation, addressing potential issues like water displacement, legal compliance, and climate change impacts. 
• Securing funding, guiding stakeholders toward national and EU-level grants.  
• Fostering strong stakeholder engagement, building partnerships with municipalities, industrial clients, and research institutions, ensuring effective collaboration and knowledge exchange. 

D1.1 Market state of the art of circular economy in the pilot areas

D2.1 Stakeholders’ engagement strategy

D2.3 Lessons learned and replicability of DECISO circular economy pilots

D3.1 Local programmes for fostering circular economy

D3.2 PDAs implementation models, operational services and financing schemes

D.3.4 Report on comparative analysis of pilots’ experiences

D5.5 Report on the communication, dissemination and exploitation activities and results – first period

D5.6 Results from the implementation of the exploitation actions

D5.7 Roadmap for DECISO scaling up

The deliverables are available at: DECISO Project

The DECISO project has identified the following key messages: 

1. DECISO targets validating a procedure to ensure territorial CE sustainability by leveraging stakeholders' engagement, roles' flexibility, and available funds. 
2. DECISO is scaling-up the strategies and CE's good practices from the pilot experiences. 

Some messages identified also by the pilots are: 

Hamburg (FHH): 

1. DECISO is turning Ideas into Circular Solutions for a Sustainable Future with the Pop-Up Circular Hub. 
2. The Pop-Up Circular Hub is empowering Innovation for a Resource-Efficient Hamburg. 
3. "From Waste to Resource: DECISO is contributing to build Hamburg’s Circular Economy. 
4. The Pop-Up Circular Hub for collaborating for a Greener Tomorrow through Circular Economy. 
5. DECISO is shaping Hamburg’s Sustainable Future with Circular Thinking. 

Alentejo region 

1. DECISO is strengthening the regional ecosystem linked to the circular economy improving knowledge to support the development of projects through Funding Programs; see the Alentejo experience. 

Municipal District Heating Company (MDHA): 

1. From Fields to Fuel: Biomass Energy for a Greener Tomorrow. The experience of West Macedonia within DECISO 

Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV) 

1. DECISO has allowed to define an approach to rainwater collection and sustainability not possible before.

• Share information and knowledge of DECISO with CCRI-CSO; 
• Take an active part in CCRI support activities of Pilots and Fellow cities and regions participate in CCRI events; 
• DECISO defined the services and the programmes of the four pilots. CCRI can facilitate any activity for upscaling and replication of the experiences of the pilots. After the collaboration of CCRI for the first DECISO annual conference, it will be useful also the collaboration for the final conference, aiming to guarantee the flow of information and knowledge with the other projects on circular economy.. 

Some publications are in preparation, and they will be available by the end of the project. 

The project is implementing many workshops and interviews and is collecting this kind of information. Moreover, the deliverable ‘D2.3 Lessons learned and replicability of DECISO circular economy pilots’ will contain their description. 

The project is implementing many workshops and interviews and is collecting this kind of information. Moreover, the deliverable ‘D2.3 Lessons learned and replicability of DECISO circular economy pilots’ will contain their description. 

The project has identified different financial schemes and resources for each pilot. 

Hamburg:  

1. Funding Programme for Grants and Subsidies through Climate Plan of Hamburg, InnoImpact-Innovationsstarter Hamburg and, finally, German federal environmental foundation.  
2. Pop-Up Digital Hub as a One-Stop-Shop for Crowd Sourcing and Financing. 

Alentejo region: Funding Programme for Grants and Subsidies (with mixed Public and Private resources) through, in particular, Portugal 2020/2030 and Portuguese Environment Fund (Fundo Ambiental).

Municipal District Heating Company (MDHA): National Funding Programme for Grants and Subsidies through National Green Fund.

Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV): European/National Funding Programme for Grants and Subsidies through Interreg B North Sea Region and BMBF -FONA, On-utility bill contract (Process Water) and Regional Contracts.

The project has achieved the following environmental outcomes for each pilot. 

Hamburg:  

• Overview of circular economy concepts, showcasing projects, research approaches, and best practices aimed at creating a sustainable, resource-efficient economy in Hamburg 
• A space for creativity, innovation, and hands-on experimentation 
• Growing commitment to circular practices in Hamburg

Alentejo region:  

• Sustainable circular solutions for the region 

Municipal District Heating Company (MDHA):  

• Sustainable energy solutions for the region 

Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV):  

• Increased water resilience: Enhanced ability to manage heavy rainfall and drought periods through smart water retention and reuse strategies. 

The project has achieved the following social outcomes for each pilot. 

Hamburg:  

• Encourage all actors, including citizens, to actively participate and share their ideas and engage with other circular economy stakeholders, encouraging collaboration and the development of innovative solutions.

Alentejo region:  

• Engagement of all the actors of the Circular Economy in the territory.  

Municipal District Heating Company (MDHA):  

• Socially responsible energy solutions for the region. 

Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV):

• Improved stakeholder collaboration: Strengthened partnerships between local governments, private entities, and research institutions, ensuring sustainable long-term project outcomes. 

The project has achieved the following economic outcomes for each pilot. 

Hamburg:  

• Support the growth of a sustainable economy while creating space for meaningful exchanges and networks.  
• Local businesses are increasingly adopting sustainable production models, and collaborative projects aimed at reducing waste and promoting resource efficiency have gained traction.
• Improve crowdsourcing and funding schemes in different contexts and scales. 
• Creation of new partnerships, accelerating the city's transition to a circular economy. 

Alentejo region:  

• Territorial analysis and implementation status of the Circular Economy in the Region.

Municipal District Heating Company (MDHA):  

• Boost biomass energy production, lower energy tariffs for local communities.

Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV):  

• Financial support and investment mobilization: Successful acquisition of funding from European and national sources, such as the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), BMBF-FONA grants, and Interreg programs. 

The project has identified different stakeholders for each pilot. 

Hamburg:  

All Stakeholder Groups, Circular/Industrial Cluster; National Authorities; Regional Authorities; Provincial Authorities; Municipal/City/Local Authorities; Umbrella Organisations and Networks; EU Initiatives; Academia and Research; National and European Associations of Local and Regional Authorities; Industries; Business, Citizens; Education Actors, Civil Society; Global/International/EU/National/Regional/ Provincial/Local Initiatives; Financial Institutions; Start-Ups; Business Incubators.

Alentejo region: All Stakeholder Groups, Circular/Industrial Cluster; National Authorities; Regional Authorities; Provincial Authorities; Municipal/City/Local Authorities; Umbrella Organisations and Networks; EU Initiatives; Academia and Research; National and European Associations of Local and Regional Authorities; Industries; Business, Citizens; Education Actors, Civil Society; Global/International/EU/National/Regional/ Provincial/Local Initiatives; Financial Institutions; Start-Ups; Business Incubators.  

Municipal District Heating Company (MDHA): Territorial cluster; National authorities; Regional authorities; Provincial authorities; Academia and research; Business; Citizens; Civil society; 

Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV): Regional authorities, Municipal/local authorities, Industries, Business, Academia and research, Citizens.

• COMISSAO DE COORDENACAO E DESENVOLVIMENTO REGIONAL DO ALENTEJO  
• IRRADIARE INVESTIGACAO E DESENVOLVIMENTO EM ENGENHARIA E AMBIENTE LDA 
• DIMOTIKI EPIXEIRISI TILETHERMANSIS EVRITERIS PERIOXIS AMYNTAIOU 
• UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN MACEDONIA  
• FREIE UND HANSESTADT HAMBURG  
• WATERBOARD OF OLDENBURG AND EAST FRISIA 
• OFFICINAE VERDI GROUP 
• ASSOCIATION OF CITIES AND REGIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 
• KOYS SRLS