Related Projects

CirCoFin is part of the European Commission’s Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI), which supports local and regional governments in implementing circular solutions. This page highlights related projects that share CirCoFin’s mission to scale circularity in the built environment—whether by promoting material reuse, enabling innovative construction practices, or developing new financial and policy frameworks. Together, these initiatives form a growing ecosystem that strengthens collaboration and accelerates Europe’s transition toward a circular, climate-resilient future. Check them out to learn more:

Circular Cities and Regions Initiative projects

BIOBOOST

BIOBOOST aims to accelerate the bioeconomy in Catalonia by providing tailored project development assistance (PDA) to overcome barriers preventing investment in bioeconomy initiatives. Delivered through a one-stop-shop Accelerator Office in Barcelona, services include technical, legal, business, and facilitation support. The project targets €30 million in new investments by 2025, achieving an 18-fold return on EU funding. BIOBOOST also engages with investors and public bodies to streamline project financing and implementation, with the ultimate goal of creating a replicable Bioeconomy Accelerator Best Practices Model for other regions.

See BIOBOOST's website

CityLoops

The CityLoops project brought together seven European cities – Apeldoorn, Bodø, Mikkeli, Porto, Seville, Høje-Taastrup and Roskilde - to pilot a series of demonstration actions to close the loop of two of the most important waste streams in Europe: Construction and Demolition Waste, and Bio-waste. Their ultimate aim is to become circular cities in which no resource goes to waste, driving the transition to the circular economy.

See CityLoops's website

CircBoost

CIRC-BOOST is a 4-year proiect, funded under the Horizon Europe Programme, that focuses on testing and upscaling circular solutions in buildings and the construction sector through five pilot projects deployed in different European regions. The pilots will demonstrate, at large-scale, novel and integrated solutions for demolition, construction waste processing, management, and valorisation in new products.

See CircBoost's website

CircularInvest

CircularInvest supports circular economy project developers across Europe by providing project development assistance (PDA) to help secure investments exceeding €20 million. Led by INOVA+, META, Circle Economy, and ICLEI Europe, it targets local and regional projects through two calls for expressions of interest. Services include PDA, knowledge sharing, and networking. CircularInvest also produces tools like a Step-by-Step Guide, policy recommendations, investor guides, and business cases to de-risk projects and boost investor confidence, creating a replicable model and pipeline for future circular economy investments.

See CircularInvest's website

DECISO

DECISO, a Horizon Europe project, helps European cities and regions overcome high upfront costs for circular economy initiatives by developing tailored financing schemes. It pilots projects in Hamburg, Alentejo, Northwest Germany, and West Macedonia across waste, water, energy, and agrifood sectors. By involving stakeholders throughout the value chain, DECISO creates strong business plans and establishes guidelines to support financing circular economy projects. These guidelines will be available for other European cities and regions to replicate, enabling broader adoption of circular solutions.

See DECISO's website

DEFINITE CCRI

DEFINITE-CCRI addresses the lack of investment opportunities for circular economy projects in Europe by creating a “deal engine mechanism” that helps make projects bankable. It offers cities, regions, and developers streamlined technical and financial support, working closely with investors to secure up to €20 million investments in four projects. By demonstrating project viability and boosting investor confidence, DEFINITE-CCRI aims to reduce reliance on virgin materials, cut emissions, and promote inclusive circular employment, advancing key European Green Deal and Circular Economy goals.

See DEFINITE CCRI's website

HOOP

The HOOP project supports urban circular bioeconomy initiatives in eight European cities by providing tailored Project Development Assistance (PDA) to convert organic waste and wastewater sludge into high-value products. It offers technical, economic, legal, and environmental support alongside customized business models and financing plans to attract investment. HOOP engages stakeholders and citizens to raise awareness and acceptance, shares best practices via online platforms, and fosters replication through the HOOP Network of Cities and Regions, promoting knowledge exchange and collaboration across Europe.

See HOOP's website

InvestCEC

InvestCEC tackles funding challenges for circular economy projects by creating a replicable model that fosters collaboration between entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers. The model will be piloted in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria’s largest southern city, known for its commitment to sustainability. Partnering with the municipal service provider Stadtwerke Klagenfurt and investment firm Venionaire Capital, InvestCEC aims to streamline financing and investment processes, helping to unlock and scale circular economy initiatives in cities and regions across Europe.

See InvestCEC's website

Reconstruct

RECONSTRUCT aims to develop circular, eco-friendly, and innovative solutions to reduce emissions from the construction industry. How? By sourcing local alternatives to conventional steel and cement, applying reclaimed components and implementing design for disassembly and reuse. The project focuses on reducing the use of primary non-renewable materials.

See Reconstruct's website

RESOURCE

RESOURCE brings together partners from government, industry, academia, and networks to support circular economy transitions in Aragon. It aims to co-create Project Development Assistance (PDA) that de-risks circular business models, strengthens projects, and develops investment schemes to attract €20 million from private investors across nine pilots. Drawing on European best practices, RESOURCE fosters a supportive learning environment and financial understanding for investors, with a replicable approach designed to scale beyond Aragon during its 36-month duration.

See RESOURCE's website

WoodCircles

Woodcircles is a four-year innovation project co-funded by the European Union that aims to develop circular and sustainable solutions for wood in construction. Its overall goal is to accelerate the green transition of the construction sector. Woodcircles is a multi-stakeholder collaboration between 20 leading European partners across the wood construction value chain.

See WoodCircles's website

Other European projects and initiatives

Circular Building Coalition

The Circular Buildings Coalition (CBC) accelerates Europe’s transition to a Circular Built Environment by uniting stakeholders across the value chain. The coalition works to overcome systemic barriers, align ambitions, shape policy, and scale proven solutions - fostering collaboration and driving impact across local, national, and European levels.

See Circular Building Coalition's website

LET'S GO CIRCULAR!

LET´S GO CIRCULAR! network is paving the way for a sustainable, just and productive transition of cities towards a functioning Circular Economy. It addresses all issues relevant to a holistic strategy of circular city ecosystems, fostering innovative solutions. The concept of the 10 R Ladder (from REFUSE to RECOVER) serves as an underlying principle for the action planning.

See LET'S GO CIRCULAR!'s website

NEBhourhoods

Creating NEBourhoods Together is shaping a future-ready, socially just, and eco-friendly district in Munich’s Neuperlach. Through collaboration with citizens, creatives, and experts, the initiative launches start-ups and projects that enhance quality of life and support climate goals. With a focus on public spaces, mobility, housing, youth culture, and circularity, it serves as a model for sustainable and inclusive urban development across Europe.

See NEBhourhoods's website

PREUSE

PREUSE is an international research project that aims to help local and regional public authorities improve the management of their material resources and implement solutions within their territory to reclaim and reuse building materials.

See PREUSE's website

PROBONO

The PROBONO project envisions to establish a people-focused European construction industry, by working in harmony with the broader community of stakeholders, to deliver scalable, sustainable, and viable energy-positive and zero-carbon Green Building Neighbourhoods (GBN).

See PROBONO's website

Road to Biobased

In Roads for bio-based construction, a cross-sectoral project group examines which directions to take to increase the use of bio-based materials in the construction in Denmark. The overall purpose is to make it clear what initiatives and actions it takes to push a bio-based conversion with the construction as a buyer of biogenic raw materials.

See Road to Biobased's website

SIRCULAR

SIRCULAR is a European initiative coordinated by RINA-C, uniting 22 partners from six countries to drive a just, affordable, and circular transition in the building sector. Over three and a half years, it will test innovative technologies and services in four regional clusters - Estonia, Spain, Germany, and Greece - engaging local stakeholders and focusing on buildings for vulnerable communities, in alignment with the Built4People partnership principles.

See SIRCULAR's website