31 October 2022

Researchers working on the project "Interdisciplinary networking for a sustainable and circular economy (INSCE) met in Kaunas, Lithuania to discuss current and futures trends in sustainability and circular economy related research. Finding innovative ways to disseminate this research to both students and individuals in public and private organisations and potential research projects was also on the agenda.

A people sitting around table divided in groups.
Discussing the ways to cooperate and co-create for a sustainable and circular economy

Mattias Lindahl, Annelie Carlson, Jelena Kurilova-Pališaitienė and Marianna Kambanou from Linköping University joined ECIU colleagues from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and Tampere University (TAU) for the network’s first meeting that took place in Kaunas.

There has been a huge growth in projects and research in circular economy in the EU, driven by its prioritisation as a way of making Europe competitive and cleaner and helping Europe to meet its climate targets. According to the EU commission’s definition, in a circular economy, the value of products, materials and resources is maintained in the economy for as long as possible, and the generation of waste is minimised.

The rich variety of projects taking place across Europe, leads to an equally rich variety of knowledge and experiences between researchers. Therefore it is essential that researchers come together to exchange and develop ideas, take stock of what has been done and what there is still left to do. Moreover, there is a need to accelerate the transfer of knowledge to industry and government, therefore exchanging experiences on successful ways of bringing circular economy into life-long learning, MBAs and other educational and capacity building programmes is equally urgent.

Many good ideas were discussed and ways to further collaborate in research and education were identified. The two-day networking meeting closed with an open lecture for the public involving researchers from all four universities.

The network aims to organise a series of events designed to foster cooperation and co‐creation among ECIU universities and to expand the knowledge of academic staff by sharing interdisciplinary experiences and disseminating knowledge about relevant and future research regarding the circular economy and sustainability. This network is part of the ECIU, the European Consortium of Innovative Universities, a network of 13 universities whose collaboration dates back to 1997.

The next meeting is set to take place at Linköping University 15 - 17 March 2023. The delegation team from Linköping University works at the division of Environmental Technology and Management.

Contact

Ceetnova logo

CEETNOVA - a new initiative to strengthen Europe's innovative power

Linköping University is one of five European universities that together run CEETNOVA - a new Erasmus+ project that aims to increase knowledge valorisation in research and education.

LiU leads the development of teacher education in Europe

LiU is taking a leading role in driving pedagogical innovation across Europe. With a focus on international collaboration and the role of AI in education, LiU is strengthening its efforts to prepare future teachers and transform teaching practices.

The ECIU Student Council had its first physical meeting in the fall of 2024.

LiU student elected vice-president of ECIU Student Council

Ellen Ivarius Andersson took a break from her studies after three years in the teacher programme to become the student union president of StuFF. She has now also become vice-president of the ECIU Student Council.

Get to know the host of the next meeting

Latest news from LiU

Snus cessation led to increased body weight and blood pressure

Snus users who stopped using snus experienced higher blood pressure and gained weight. This has been shown by a research group at Linköping University in a study on 33 people.

A woman sitting in a couch.

Award winner with an interest in how people solve practical problems

Blood. Engineers. Housewives. The list of subjects Boel Berner, professor emerita at LiU, has taken an interest in is long and still growing. She is now awarded the Ingemar Ingemarsson interdisciplinarity prize.

Street in a city with cars.

Disturbance-free city during construction projects

Having a holistic approach to all construction projects in a city is the most important factor for minimising disturbance. But that is easier said than done. This is shown by researchers from LiU in a new book.