📅 Wednesday tbc | 🕐 13:00–14:00
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New to Circular Economy Fund
Circular Economy Innovation Communities co-created a new seed-corn fund, with Welsh Government, for organisations looking to develop CE innovation projects. The pilot New to Circular Economy fund offered organisations up to £10,000 in grant as part of a £15,000 scoping or feasibility phase of a new product or service. CEIC Wales supported 77 organisations to develop outline applications with 27 presenting their proposed projects to a Welsh Government panel and 18 organisations successfully secured funding to develop robust feasibility studies for their proposed circular economy innovation project. Nature Protects describe their innovation in a video case study.
Dr Gary Walpole is the Director of the Circular Economy Innovation Communities and Co-Director of the Regional Innovation & Regeneration Centre.
Recent Publications: https://pure.cardiffmet.ac.uk/en/persons/gary-walpole/publications/
Advancing Circular Economy through Industrial Symbiosis Implementation
The steel and iron industry drives economic growth but is also a major polluter. As energy costs rise, Industrial Symbiosis (IS) offers opportunities to improve energy efficiency. This study investigates how firms can enhance energy efficiency through IS, using six iron and steel companies in Mainland China and Taiwan as case studies. The research identifies four types of Energy Symbiosis—multi-machine, multi-factory, multi-enterprise, and regional—and develops an energy management maturity model integrating IS level, technological development, and managerial improvement. The findings advance understanding of Energy Symbiosis and its role in energy efficiency. Funded by the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants, the project will next examine Welsh industries to explore applications for supporting a circular economy.
Dr Zheng Liu is an Associate Professor in Logistics and Operations Management, currently working at the Greenwich Business School, University of Greenwich. Zheng’s research focuses on three main areas: Supply Chain Sustainability, Innovation Ecosystem, and Circular Economy. The results of her research have been published in more than 50 journals and book chapters. Zheng has led and collaborated on several research projects on circular economy innovations and digital transformation funded by the Welsh and UK Government.