The CCRI is a collaboration and support scheme of the European Commission, launched by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation as part of the European Circular Economy Action Plan 2020. The CCRI aims to support Europe’s green transition by boosting circularity at local and regional levels. It focuses on the implementation of Circular Systemic Solutions across Europe’s cities and regions. The CCRI therefore provides a local contribution to the implementation of the European Green Deal and the European Bioeconomy Strategy. 

In order to build capacity and drive economic growth, it works to increase collaboration and knowledge sharing between cities and regions in the EU and the Horizon 2020 Associated Countries. The CCRI also aims to boost innovation and upscaling, which are essential for making the circular economy more widespread and mainstream.  

Funded by the European Commission, the CCRI Coordination and Support Office (CCRI-CSO) is responsible for facilitating the overall coordination and implementation of the initiative. 

Find out more about the CCRI.

The CCRI is unique by nature of its architecture. It is a unique, multi-stakeholder collaboration and support scheme. The CCRI assists stakeholders across Europe’s cities and regions, including regional and local authorities, industry representatives, research and technology organisations, and civil society. Combining technical and financial support, it provides comprehensive support over the whole life cycle of local and regional circular economy initiatives.  

In order to build capacity and drive economic growth, the CCRI works to increase collaboration and knowledge sharing between EU cities and regions. It also aims to boost innovation and upscaling, which are essential for making the circular economy more widespread and mainstream.  

The CCRI also combines this knowledge sharing with financial and technical support. 

A territorial cluster is a socio‑economic, geographical and environmental system composed of all relevant actors and including at least one public authority. This cluster is ready to implement, demonstrate and facilitate the replication of at least one Circular Systemic Solution in a specific territory. 

Funded by the European Commission, the CCRI Coordination and Support Office (CCRI-CSO) is at the heart of the overall CCRI. The CCRI-CSO is responsible for facilitating the implementation of the CCRI and is the main coordinating body for its activities.

The CCRI-CSO is made of an international, multidisciplinary team of experts in the field of circular economy offering practical, tailor-made support to speed up circular economy implementation in cities and regions. 

A Circular Systemic Solution is a project aiming to achieve an overall net sustainability added value in a local context by applying innovative circular models. These projects are holistic and seek to achieve minimal trade-offs. They are systemic in the sense that they involve different actors and value chains, potentially involving more than one level of government and governance, address a variety of circularity issues, and consider all causal factors that may enable or hinder a transition toward the circular economy at local level.

A Circular Systemic Solution is systemic also in its impacts and outcomes, addressing and involving economic, social and environmental aspects. Circular Systemic Solutions should address the major challenge of effectively applying the circular economy concept beyond resource management and recovery in the waste and water sectors. 

CCRI Pilots benefit from: 
 

• Tailored support from circular economy experts: The CCRI Coordination and Support Office (CCRI-CSO) is made of a multidisciplinary team of experts in the field of circular economy. This team supports the Pilots in developing, implementing and improving Circular Economy Action Plans, Circular Economy Investment Plans and Circular Systemic Solutions. The CCRI-CSO has also developed a dedicated CCRI Methodology, which provides the CCRI community with step-by-step guidance to speed up circular economy implementation. 

• Facilitated monitoring and self-assessment: The CCRI-CSO also provides the Pilots with guidance to improve their capacity to monitor circular projects and therefore follow their progress in the transition, thanks to a dedicated self-assessment tool (under development). 

• Knowledge sharing: The CCRI-CSO facilitates the exchange of knowledge and good practices between Pilots and with Fellows, in particular through dedicated thematic working groups on specific circular economy macro-areas, practices and implementation.  

In contrast to CCRI Pilots, CCRI Fellows receive no direct support or technical guidance. However, they can benefit from the following: 
 

• Facilitated capacity building and peer learning: Easy access to various tools and resources to address knowledge or capacity gaps, plus opportunities to participate in grouped activities (for example webinars and thematic working groups) to exchange knowledge and good practices with the Pilots and other Fellows. 

• First-hand information: Access to a wealth of relevant information, including stakeholder mapping, repository of key publications and reports, regular updates on relevant events and calls, tailored to their interests. 

• Enlarged community and collaboration opportunities: Expand their network, gain connections in peer-to-peer learning processes with the Pilots, and identify relevant partners. 

• Increased visibility: Enjoy more visibility for their organisation through the dissemination activities of the CCRI Coordination and Support Office, which shares updates related to their activities.