From Knowledge to Action: Accelerating circular transition in cities and regions
Circular Cities and Regions Initiative
How do cities and regions move from circular ambition to circular delivery? Across Europe, the strategies exist, but turning them into implementation takes something harder to come by: the right knowledge, capacities, partnerships, governance models and practical tools.
Climate KIC is co-organising this interactive event as part of Circular Week 2026 in Warsaw, bringing together policymakers, practitioners, businesses, researchers and the organisations supporting the circular economy to exchange experience, test practical solutions and strengthen collaboration.
The event is jointly organised by the CCRI Communities of Practice and the CCRI Knowledge Hub — two complementary projects supporting the European Commission’s Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI) — with contributions from the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation. Together, the projects support cities and regions through practical knowledge, mentoring and peer learning to accelerate the circular transition.
CCRI hands-on workshop
Climate KIC is leading the CCRI Hands on workshops – the capacity building programme of the CCRI Communities of Practice. As part of this programme, Climae KIC will be leading the facilitation of the first in-person workshop of this programme, two-part session workshop.
Our team will lead the workshop, which draws together insights from all eight CCRI Communities of Practice. Those communities have worked across circular business models, water management, critical raw materials, consumption-based emissions, waste management, social impact, urban planning, and monitoring and indicators for the circular economy.
What makes this workshop distinctive is where the knowledge comes from. It isn’t delivered top-down. It has been created in peer-learning environments where cities, regions and enabling stakeholders analysed systemic challenges and worked out practical solutions together. In other words, it is knowledge built from cities and region, for cities and regions.
The workshop is open to in-person participants only.
Part 1 — Exploring the challenges of a circular city
13:35–14:30
Participants work in cross-thematic groups that draw together insights from across the CCRI Communities of Practice. Through real case studies, a live diagnostic and facilitated group discussion, participants explore why circular implementation so often stalls, whether it’s a governance gap, a coordination problem, a capacity constraint, or a delivery failure.
Part 2 — Turning challenges into circular action
15:00–15:50
Working in groups, participants develop practical next steps for their own challenges, drawing on tested approaches, governance methods and tools from cities and regions across Europe.
The full programme
Alongside the workshop, the day includes an introduction to the CCRI from the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation, a session on policy recommendations and lessons learned for local and regional implementation, a Knowledge Marketplace of posters, case studies and practical tools, and a roundtable with cities, regions and mentors on how they turned ideas into action. The event also builds momentum for the European Sustainability Congress taking place the following day.
Who it’s for: public authorities at local, regional and national level; regional development agencies and support organisations; businesses, investors and innovation organisations; researchers and knowledge organisations; civil society and circular economy practitioners; and European and international circular economy networks.