On April 23 and 24, 2026 the international CURIOST workshop was conducted as part of the CURIOST INTERREG CENTRAL EUROPE project – international support for local SMEs in developing new business models based on the principles of the circular economy (CE).
The CURIOST project aims to enable SMEs and small mid-cap enterprises to fully realize their potential in sustainable and innovative product development, enabling them to capitalize on business opportunities in the circular economy. Business cases are being developed based on MVPs for each participating company in the various project partner countries (PPs).
Given that the pilot activities are closely linked to specific companies and sectors, the resulting business cases will be consolidated based on the findings from the MVP development process. This will lead to the creation of a broader, flexible framework for sustainable circular product development, applicable to a wide range of companies in Central Europe. This framework will constitute a set of business model templates tailored to the specificities and needs of each of the four target sectors.
On April 23 and 24, 2026, international workshops were held for the entire consortium (11 partners from 7 countries, including the South Poland Cleantech Cluster). During the workshops, 30 companies from across the region had the opportunity to present their business case – MVP – during 10-minute sessions for evaluation by experts (Creative Heads) from various regions and research institutes. Based on the comments and suggestions received, they will be able to refine their model, ready for further market implementation. The South Poland Cleantech Cluster will actively support its member companies in their further development!
We have qualified five companies from the southern Poland region to participate in the international workshops: JMA Partner and Gor-Stal from the construction industry, and @HAT-TRICK, KLGS sp. z o.o., and Sinterit from the plastics industry. During the first workshops, held in March and April 2026, the companies worked directly with experts from the Interdisciplinary Center for Circular Economy at the Cracow University of Technology – Creative Heads, led by Izabela Paluch and Krzysztof Oleksy, a special purpose vehicle of the Cracow University of Technology, INTECH PK. The companies developed their MVP solution ideas based on the Lean Canvas Model.
The South Poland Cleantech Cluster will actively support its member companies in their further development, even after the project ends in December 2026!
We look forward to discussing the solutions developed and identifying the most important trends for individual industries at the next consortium meeting in May 2026 in Pécs, Hungary 🇹🇯
Thank you to the companies and experts for your active participation!.
We will be in touch to provide detailed information about upcoming events.
