The ‘Circular Production NRW’ funding programme supports innovative projects for sustainable, resource-efficient and circular value creation in SMEs with 21 million euros.
The circular economy offers numerous opportunities to sustainably promote climate protection, resource efficiency and competitiveness. North Rhine-Westphalia, characterized by a strong SME industry, faces international competition and is dependent on innovation. The holistic circular economy is becoming increasingly important, particularly in industrial production. Manufacturing and recycling technologies must be further developed so that new products are low-polluting, durable, repairable and can be reused as valuable raw materials at the end of their service life.
The state is launching the “Circular Production NRW” (ZiPo.NRW) funding call in order to strengthen circular value creation in North Rhine-Westphalia’s small and medium-sized industry. 21 million euros from EU funds from the ERDF/JTF program NRW 2021-2027 are available for this purpose. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based or with a branch in North Rhine-Westphalia are eligible to apply.
The funding call particularly supports projects that pursue a circular product design, reduce material consumption in industrial processes, increase the sustainability of materials, improve modularity and upgrade capabilities or aim to extend product lifetimes. Funding is available for projects to develop key technologies in the following areas:
Digital technologies and technology-intensive innovations, such as
- advanced semiconductor technologies
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
- quantum technologies
- sensor technologies
- Robotics and autonomous systems
Environmentally friendly and resource-efficient technologies, such as
- Solar technologies
- Onshore and offshore wind power technologies
- Battery and energy storage solutions
- Heat pumps, geothermal energy technologies and hydrogen technologies
Biotechnologies, such as:
- DNA and RNA-based technologies
- Cell and tissue culture
- Biotechnology processes
- Gene and RNA vectors
- Bioinformatics and nanobiotechnology