CURIOST Project Meeting #2 in Opatija, group photo
Project overview
Circular design and development of Sustainable products in 4 key sectors in Central Europe
The ongoing transition to a circular economy is not only a tedious obligation for the manufacturing industry. It also offers an opportunity to develop innovative sustainable products. The CURIOST project helps small- and medium-sized companies in sectors like mechanics, packaging, plastics, and construction to harvest the potential benefits. They help selected companies to co-develop tailor-made, innovative, sustainable and circular product prototypes. The learnings are then aggregated into a universal strategy and action plans to accelerate the green transition in the manufacturing industry.
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1,90m €
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Project Budget
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80%
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of the Budget is funded by ERDF
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7
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Countries
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10
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Regions
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11
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Partners
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1
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Pilots
Duration
Start date
End date
Project progress
About the project
CURIOST is an Interreg Central Europe project, focusing on promoting circular economy practices among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small mid-caps in Central Europe's manufacturing sectors. The project targets four key industries: mechanics and mechatronics, packaging, plastics, and construction and building.
Objectives:
- Enable Sustainable Product Development: Assist SMEs and small mid-caps in developing innovative, sustainable products by adopting circular economy principles.
- Foster Transnational Collaboration: Encourage cooperation among 11 partners from seven Central European countries—Austria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Slovakia—to share expertise in product development, business innovation, circular economy, and environmental topics.
- Develop Strategic Frameworks: Create comprehensive strategies and action plans to support the uptake of sustainable product development solutions by SMEs and small mid-caps in the targeted sectors.
By focusing on these objectives, CURIOST aims to drive the green transition in Central Europe's manufacturing industry, promoting environmental sustainability while unlocking new business opportunities for SMEs.
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
Business Upper Austria
Mechatronics Cluster + Circular Economy Team @ Plastics Cluster
Project partner
Energy & Environment, Business & Innovation
Total partner budget
179,200 €
Faculty of Business management
Total partner budget
174,020 €
Total partner budget
174,160 €
Total partner budget
146,440 €
Total partner budget
163,380 €
Address
Ulica bana Josipa Jelačića 22D 40000 Čakovec
Country
Croatia (HR) Web
https://metalskajezgra.hr/
Total partner budget
137,060 €
Smart Products and Manufacturing
Total partner budget
189,700 €
POLO CLEVER - Cleantech Cluster
Total partner budget
137,620 €
Energy / Construction Department (SF-E)
Total partner budget
165,480 €
Total partner budget
172,760 €
Roadmap
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CONTEXT
CURIOST | ROADMAP | CONTEXT
In Central Europe, the manufacturing sector is increasingly called upon to embrace sustainability and circular economy principles. This shift is driven by new regulatory requirements, evolving market expectations, and the urgent need to reduce environmental impact. While these pressures create opportunities for innovation and growth, they also present significant hurdles—particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small mid-caps, which form the backbone of the region’s industrial ecosystem. Unlike larger corporations, these businesses often lack the internal capacity to adapt their processes and products to meet the demands of the green transition.
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PROBLEM
CURIOST | ROADMAP | PROBLEM
Despite the growing importance of sustainability, many SMEs still perceive the green transition as an external obligation rather than a strategic advantage. Their limited resources, both in terms of time and expertise, make it difficult to explore alternative business models or invest in circular product development. As a result, these companies risk lagging behind competitors, missing out on emerging market opportunities, and facing increasing pressure from regulatory bodies. There is a clear gap between policy ambitions and the practical realities faced by manufacturing SMEs on the ground.
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CHALLENGES
CURIOST | ROADMAP | CHALLENGES
One of the main challenges is the lack of awareness and knowledge around sustainable design and circular business models. Many SMEs are unfamiliar with available tools, methodologies, or success stories that could inspire change. At the same time, collaboration across sectors and borders remains limited, despite shared challenges and potential synergies. Without tangible examples, SMEs struggle to understand how to apply circular principles to their specific products and contexts. Furthermore, policy fragmentation across different regions complicates the path toward sustainability, especially for businesses operating in transnational supply chains.
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SOLUTION
CURIOST | ROADMAP | SOLUTION
The CURIOST project offers a concrete response to these challenges. Funded by the Interreg Central Europe programme, the project brings together 11 partners from seven countries to support SMEs and small mid-caps in four key sectors: mechanics and mechatronics, packaging, plastics, and construction. CURIOST works to close the gap between ambition and implementation by building knowledge, offering hands-on training, and co-developing sustainable product prototypes with selected companies. Through transnational collaboration, CURIOST enables the exchange of ideas and expertise, creating a supportive ecosystem for circular innovation. The project also delivers a comprehensive methodology kit and an Action Plan to help SMEs adopt circular design practices and contribute to a more competitive and sustainable manufacturing industry in Central Europe.
News
Events
Pilot actions
Outputs
CURIOST A common approach for fostering sustainable product development
A common approach for fostering sustainable product development
By joining forces in the CURIOST project the 11 project partners from 7 Central European countries - together with their associated partners - promote sustainable product development in SME + small midcaps. This is a major contribution for fostering circular economy in the participating countries.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
CURIOST Joint Strategy For Sustainable Product Development
Joint strategy for sustainable product development
PPs jointly develop a transnational strategy for fostering sustainable product development in SME + small midcaps. This joint strategy covers all regions, includes a clear vision for the four focus sectors for 2030+ and opportunities to reach the vision, technological, organizational and economic aspects that enable the scale-up of sustainable products and necessary changes in SME + small
midcaps in order to foster the green, sustainable and circular transition of product development.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
- Internal capacity building and creation of common vision
- Joint Development Of Strategy For Sustainable Product Development In SMEs And Small Midcaps
- Development Of Concept For Uptake Of Strategy By SMEs And Small Midcaps
- Visualization Joint Strategy
- Business Model Development Trainings
- Awareness raising in SME small midcaps_sustainable product development
- Strategy Uptake Workshops With Large Number Of Companies GDPR
CURIOST Piloting Sustainable Product Development
Piloting sustainable product development
This output concludes the two-stage piloting following an adapted design thinking methodology. 30 companies, together with creative heads and Project Partners will develop their sustainable and circular minimum viable products in an iterative process of creation + test + upgrade. The first stage is carried out regionally, while the second stage spans across borders, emphasising sector-based grouping of the SME + small midcaps. The business cases derived from this promote CHANGE toward a green transition.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
CURIOST Methodology kit for the development of a sustainable and circular product
Solution - Methodology kit for the development of a sustainable and circular product
The solution serves as THE METHODOLOGY KIT for SME + small
midcaps on how to proceed when developing ecologically and economically sustainable products in Central Europe. The dissemination and uptake activities for SME + small midcaps will enable them to apply proper tools from the methodology kit to move towards a greener and circular economy.
Type of output: Solutions
In development
CURIOST Action Plan
CURIOST Action Plan document for sustainable product development, targeting the policy level
The CURIOST action plan (CAP) integrates the analysis of the latest EU legal and policy framework and the smart specialization-strategies of the PP
regions, with the assessment of regional SME + midcap needs into a “big picture” of regional highpotential fields that should be brought to the ground
by the policy level in the PP regions. The CAP presents recommended policy actions from transnational + partner regions perspective (D.3.3.2), which have high transfer potential to the whole Europe.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
Project images
CURIOST
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