Awards presented for the best innovative solutions in circular economy 2025

SLOVENIA, April 14 - The event was organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Štajerska within the framework of SRIP – Circular Economy, with the support of the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.

As one of the speakers at the ceremony, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development, Aleksander Jevšek, underlined: “Today’s event is not merely an award ceremony. It represents a key component of a development mechanism that enables the most promising ideas to be identified, assessed, and guided towards further development. It is a structured and professionally supported process based on clear criteria – the level of innovation, technological maturity, impact on the circular economy, and the potential for integration into value chains.”

The selection of inventive solutions represents a continuous mechanism for identifying innovations with high development and market potential. The expert evaluation was carried out based on clearly defined criteria:

• level of innovation,
• technological maturity (TRL),
• impact on the circular economy,
• potential for integration into value chains.

Projects were independently assessed by three expert evaluators, including a representative of the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, Natalija Poš (Slovenia’s Smart Specialisation Strategy – S5).

Such selection processes serve as an important filter for advancing the most promising innovations into further development and support instruments, including research, development and innovation (RDI) calls, demonstration projects, pilot investments, and the formation of development consortia. In this way, innovations are embedded within a broader framework of development priorities and funding, particularly within the framework of Cohesion Policy.

The ceremony event also shed light on key projects financed under the Cohesion Policy for the 2021–2027 programming period. Of particular importance is the Slovenian Centre for Circular Economy, which operates as a central national platform connecting companies, research organisations, and the support environment, while fostering the development of circular business models. A significant contribution is also represented by the call for research and development programmes (TRL 3–6), under which more than €7.6 million has been allocated to a consortium within the S5 priority area.

Circular economy is increasingly emerging as a connecting factor between transformation actors, deep-tech innovators, and sectoral clusters. It represents a key lever for the transition towards sustainable, low-carbon, and resource-efficient industrial models. Today’s event serves as an important source of project ideas and a starting point for further stakeholders’ development ambitions.