Climate KIC organises first Festival of Circular Economy and Bioeconomy in Santander

Running from November 28 to December 2, the activities mark a new partnership in Cantabria to strengthen circular economy in the region. 

Monday 28 November: This week will see the inaugural launch of the Festival of Circular Economy and Bioeconomy in Santander, Spain, to activate entrepreneurship and innovation on circular economy in the region. Climate KIC are running the week long activities in collaboration with the Santander International Center for Entrepreneurship (CISE), the Society for the Regional Development of Cantabria (SODERCAN) and the Chamber of Commerce of Cantabria.

Taking place at the Palacio de la Magdalena and the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce of Cantabria, the festival aims to raise awareness of climate challenges in the region and strengthen local ecosystems to address systemic problems through circular economy initiatives.

The festival is part of Climate KIC’s Circular Economy programme for Cantabria. It offers participants the opportunity to strengthen their skills and knowledge in both circular economy and systemic transformation at the regional level, as well as to practice and experiment around innovative ideas and public policies, through circular solutions that favour climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The series of events across the week include

• An intensive training course on the fundamentals and tools of circular economy.
• A keynote lecture on circular economy and digitization in cities and regions by Totti Könnölä, managing director of Insight Foresight Institute
• A series of workshops to develop public officials and stakeholders’ competencies and tools for decision making around new sustainable economic models in Cantabria
• And a ceremony to award students participating in the course on circular economy will be awarded diplomas and the ensuing Climathon activities will be opened, encouraging Cantabrian entrepreneurs and students with ideas to apply to be part of the programme.
• The festival offers a pathway to climate action and the opportunity for Cantabrian entities, together with citizens, to jointly develop ideas to address local climate challenges, as well as inspire and build knowledge about systems change in cities globally.

This festival is subsidized by the Ministry of Rural Development, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Environment of Cantabria. All activities will be held in Spanish.

For more information on the festival, please visit here. Registration for the festival can be found here.