Topic: A closed second meeting with two selected companies interested in implementing circular economy solutions within their organizations in the Interreg Central Europe – CURIOST project.

On April 09, 2026, SPCleantech organized a one-day workshop as part of the Interreg Central Europe CURIOST 2024-2026 project, in which it is the sole representative of Poland. It focused on supporting SMEs in developing solutions that enable full integration into the circular economy (CE), including assessing their implementation feasibility in accordance with the EU directive.

The CURIOST project supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small mid-cap companies in Central Europe to accelerate their transition toward sustainable and circular product development. The project focuses on four manufacturing sectors: mechanics & mechatronics, plastics, packaging, and construction.

Two companies participated in the workshops: one from the plastics industry (Sinterit), and one from the construction industry (Gór-Stal). This was the second workshop. The first with 3 companies was condacted on March 12, 2026.

The mentoring process consists of two stages: a regional stage led by a team of experienced experts representing the Interdisciplinary Center for Circular Economy at the Krakow University of Technology, led by Dr. Izabela Paluch (an expert in innovation and commercialization of ideas), the Center for Circular Economy at the Krakow University of Technology and with support from the South Poland Cleantech Cluster non-profit, a cluster of innovations and new technologies; and an international stage, with companies and experts from the CURIOST project partner countries: Austria, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Slovakia, and Hungary.

The first workshop of the first regional stage with 3 selected copanies was conducted as in-person workshop in Krakow at the cluster’s headquarters on March 12, 2026. It involved developing the idea and reviewing the company’s new business model. This stage saw validation of the idea under the guidance of an experienced mentor. In the following weeks, individual mentoring sessions with companies were held, either in-person or online, to refine the solutions. The second workshop of the first stage with 2 selected copanies was conducted as in-person workshop in Krakow at the cluster’s headquarters on April 09, 2026.

What could companies gain?

The workshop was led by dr. Izabela Paluch, president of the special purpose vehicle of the Cracow University of Technology, INTECH PK. Two employees of the Interdisciplinary Center for Circular Economy at the Cracow University of Technology (IC GOZ PK), Krzysztof Oleksy and Paweł Niezgoda also participated in the workshop as mentors.

​The pilot actions under Activity 2.3 represent a cornerstone of the CURIOST project, as they bring the jointly developed methodology for circular and sustainable product design into practice within real company environments. These regional pilots in Stage 1 not only validated the methodology but also demonstrated its applicability across different industrial contexts. 

​To ensure that the pilots are carried out by the most suitable and committed companies, the partnership has developed a common criteria catalogue. This tool ensured that the selection process was transparent, harmonised across countries, and aligned with the project’s strategic objectives. 

​The catalogue was designed to fulfil three key purposes: 

• ​Transparency – providing a clear, documented, and objective framework that guarantees fairness and comparability across all participating regions. 

• ​Quality – ensuring that selected companies possess the motivation, capacity, and innovation potential required to actively and successfully engage in the pilot phase. 

• ​Balance – securing a representative mix of companies across the four targeted sectors and participating countries, thereby maximising the transferability and impact of results.