CIRCI: The vouchers have been distributed.

- The vouchers contribute to generating interest and attention regarding the use of byproduct streams and byproduct mapping, and the potential 'gold' that lies within, says Stine Skagestad, who leads circular transition in the Eyde Cluster.

She adds that the Katapult Center Future Materials has been an important piece in this puzzle.

Connecting byproduct streams with businesses

- Siv Emauelsen at Future Materials has been a great partner right from the beginning of our work on utilizing the database's byproduct streams, which is why they have also been closely linked to the CIRCI project. Siv has done a great job in connecting byproduct streams with companies that may benefit from them, emphasizes Skagestad.

The reason for Norwegian interest in the project is the trust placed in the Eyde Cluster and Future Materials.

- Hence, the vouchers are crucial as they provide an innovation call that is organized in a system that facilitates and assists, while also fostering trust and providing an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from knowledgeable individuals, says Frank Spetland, Head of R&D in the Eyde Cluster.

Resources worth competing for

He finds the evaluated projects to be innovative, circular, and largely based on collaboration between Norway and Slovenia, both in terms of knowledge and byproduct streams.

- The projects typically involve a company having a byproduct stream that they may not currently utilize or could optimize further. By having multiple parties consider how to utilize these byproduct streams, we achieve the best possible utilization of the streams – they become resources that are actually sought after, explains Spetland.