Second day of the BeCircular’s project final meeting

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The second day of the BeCircular’s project final conference, organised by GAUSS Institute, was held on 20th October at Hotel Millenium, Shirok Sokak 48, 7000 in Bitola. Project partners’ representatives (from DIADYMA, CluBE, Gauss Institute and ZMAI), stakeholders from the Pelagonia region, and representatives of relevant projects under the EU’s Interreg IPA programs attended the conference.
Dr Igor Nedelkovski, Rector of the University “St. Kliment Ohridski” emphasized the role of education in circular economy processes, highlighting the significant role of BeCircular, which integrates circular economy topics into certain university courses.
During the conference, a book entitled “Managing Changes in a Circular Economy through Circular (business) Models,” developed as part of the project, was officially presented. This book will serve as a textbook for master students.
The conference also showcased the platform and a promotional video developed by GAUSS Institute, introducing the circular concept of “Rent (don’t buy) everything you need.”
ZMAI association representatives highlighted activities, particularly the newly refurbished Entrepreneurial and Creativity Center in Prilep, which serves as a hub for circular economy ideas. Business ideas generated there have turned into real businesses, attracting third-party investors and entering the startup phase.
The open session concluded with questions and discussions, while the closed session, dedicated only to project partners, focused on the projects results, their dissemination and the potential future cooperation.

 

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Final Meeting in Florina on 19th October 2023

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The 2-day final meeting of the BeCircular project took place at the completion of the project, making it a great opportunity for all the partners to meet in person, discuss operational topics present the projects outcomes to the local society and leverage ideas for new collaborations. The first part of the meeting was held on 19th October at the Lynx Mountain Resort, Hill of St. Panteleimon, Florina, and comprised of an open and a closed session.
Dr. Ioannis Fallas, Director of CluBE, welcomed the participants and started the closed session, which aimed at the detailed overview of the project and all the activities, accomplished throughout the project’s implementation, where each project partner presented the activities related to their organization.
The open session summarized the project’s activities and bridged them with other European and national projects. Mr. Vasileios Balachtsis, Project Manager at CluBE, opened the session with the project’s video, summarizing the project activities, and briefly presented the project outcomes. Afterwards, Dr. Vasileios Ambas, regional counselor, with his presentation pointed out the significant role of the Interreg programme in the Region of Western Macedonia and referred to the new programming period 2021-2027, while Dr. Athina Krestou, assistant professor at UoWM, explained the role of the University as a development pillar in the region of Western Macedonia.
Dr. Elpida Samara, assistant professor at UoWM and business consultant, presented 3 business plans on circular economy, developed as part of the project, that has been used to train local entrepreneurs on bio-waste management and utilization and inspire them to develop their own business, boosting employment.
Finally, an open discussion among project partners, speakers and participants from the local society took place, leveraging ideas for new collaborations.

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Info Day on Circular Bioeconomy and Entrepreneurship for Students

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The Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment of Western Macedonia (CluBE), in the framework of the BeCircular project of the European program INTERREG IPA CBC Greece – Republic of North Macedonia 2014-2020, met on 16/05/2023 with the students of the School of Fine and Applied Arts of the University of Western Macedonia in Florina, with the aim to inform them about Circular Bioeconomy and Entrepreneurship.

The event started with a short greeting of Mr. Philippos Kalamaras, assistant professor of the School of Fine and Applied Arts of the University of Western Macedonia. Afterwards Mr. Alexandros Vezos, Project Manager and Business & Entrepreneurship Expert of the Cluster, presented shortly the general activities of the Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment of Western Macedonia (CluBE).

Then Mr. Vasileios Balachtsis, Project Manager of CluBE and responsible for the BeCircular project took over with the presentation of the BeCircular Project and the SYMBIOSIS digital platform. The platform has been upgraded within the project to integrate more functions and is essentially a tool dedicated to the efficient matching of materials/services between different businesses, leading to new ideas through the development of B2B models related to the Bioeconomy and industrial symbiosis.

The information session came to an end with the presentation of Mr. Alexandros Vezos about Entrepreneurship in the Circular Bioeconomy and an open discussion with the students and the event’s participants on the same topic followed.

 

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Workshop on Circular Bioeconomy with Local Businesses

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The Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment of Western Macedonia (CluBE), in the framework of BeCircular project of the European program INTERREG IPA CBC Greece – Republic of North Macedonia 2014-2020, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Florina organized on 15.05.2023 at the premises of the Chamber a “Workshop on Circular Bioeconomy with Local Businesses.”
The workshop targeted local businesses who are active in the Bioeconomy sector.
Mr. Vasileios Balachtsis, Project Manager of the Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment of Western Macedonia (CluBE) and responsible for the BeCircular project, was coordinator of the event and gave the floor to Mr. Savvas Sapalidis, president of the Chamber, and to Mr. Vasileios Ambas, Regional Councilor of the Region of Western Macedonia and Director of the Directorate of Agricultural Economy (DAOK), for a short greeting.
Afterwards, Mr. Alexandros Vezos, Project Manager and Business & Entrepreneurship Expert of the Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment of Western Macedonia (CluBE) through his presentation, analyzed and highlighted the role and the goals of CluBE.
Subsequently Mr. Vasileios Balachtsis presented the BeCircular project and the SYMBIOSIS digital platform to the attendees. The platform has been upgraded within the project to integrate more functions and is essentially a tool dedicated to the efficient matching of materials/services between different businesses, leading to new ideas through the development of B2B models related to the Bioeconomy and industrial symbiosis.
The workshop was successfully completed with an open discussion, with the main goal being the exchange of ideas between entrepreneurs and participants.

 

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Workshop on Circular Bioeconomy with Local Businesses at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBE) in Florina

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Workshop on Circular Bioeconomy with Local Businesses
The Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment of Western Macedonia (CluBE) together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBE) of Florina, within the framework of the implementation of the BeCircular project of the European program INTERREG IPA CBC Greece – Republic of North Macedonia 2014-2020, organizes and invites you to a workshop on Circular Bioeconomy with local businesses at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBE) of Florina on Monday 15 May 2023 from 18:00 to 20:00.

 

The Project is co-funded by the European Union and national funds of the participating countries.

Meeting with the new Associates of CluBE at the Department of Visual and Applied Arts of the University of Western Macedonia in Florina

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The meeting with the new partners of the Bioeconomy and Environment Cluster (CluBE) in Florina, which aimed to inform them about the BeCircular project, was successfully completed. The meeting took place on 30/03/2023 at the new branch of CluBE, which is located in the premises of the Department of Visual and Applied Arts of the University of Western Macedonia in Florina.

At the meeting the new partners were informed about the progress of the project, what it has achieved so far and what are the final goals to be meet as the BeCircular project moves towards its final course. The needs of the implementation of the program, the definition of the tasks of the new partners and the intention of the whole team for a smooth and productive collaboration were discussed in detail with great interest.

You can see photos below:

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Opening of the New Center for Entrepreneurship and Creativity located at the Faculty of Economics in Prilep

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The Center was established within the framework of the BeCircular project (Boosting Employment through Entrepreneurship in Circular Economy), which is funded by the Cross-Border Cooperation (IPA CBC) program of the European Union. Organizations from the Republic of North Macedonia and Greece participate in the project. The E&C Center was created by the Research and Analysis Association – ZMAI, as part of the project activities.

The inauguration of the Center took place on March 23, 2023 and it is now open to the public and to those who are interested in visiting, getting to know and using its new facilities.

“Υoung people from both countries can now work together, exchanging ideas and knowledge thus promoting the concepts of Entrepreneurship of the creative industries, the Circular Economy and the Bioeconomy. These sectors offer new opportunities for the development of “green” business models. They could mean the opening of new jobs for the local population, as well as the creation of new businesses that can provide additional economic activities to the local economy” said Viktor Mitevski, President of the Association for Research and Analysis ZMAI.

The Rector of the University, Prof. Dr. Igor Nedelkovski, emphasized the importance of such projects for students. According to him, investments in Entrepreneurship and Circular Economy always have a positive impact on communities. This concerns both the economic and financial side, as well as the ecological and green entrepreneurship side. The Rector added that students and young entrepreneurs will use the new center to develop advanced ideas. According to him, it is very likely that the next big startup in Pelagonia will come from these areas.

Ιt is worth noting that at the opening of the new center, co-financed by the Ministry of Local Self-Government, the Minister, Risto Penov, gave a speech.

The Dean of the Faculty of Economics in Prilep, Prof. Dr. Dragica Odzaklieska, also gave a speech at the event and emphasized that the school is proud to have such a center on its premises.

She continued by adding “The center is fully aligned with the iconic building of the School of Economics. The areas of entrepreneurship and innovation will have the opportunity to grow and give space to students and professors to develop new ideas and expand their knowledge. As an educational and scientific institution, the School of Economics in Prilep will be able to offer a space to all current and future entrepreneurs. The development of concepts related to Circular Economy and Bioeconomy is the future of the entire Economy and we are proud to be part of the initiative”.

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Creativity should become a place where students and young entrepreneurs from Pelagonia region in the Republic of North Macedonia will develop their ideas and create conditions for the development of the local economy. Young entrepreneurs will finally have their own space in Prilep where they can create, socialize, and innovate together.

You can see photos from the opening below:

 

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Startapp.mk is up

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The new e-learning platform, Startapp.mk is now active. As part of the BeCircular project, a new e-learning platform, adapted to the needs of high school students in Pelagonia, was created. The platform provides a digital approach to educational material, Business Canvas and Lean Methodology, offering interactive content such as: training videos, practical assignments, digital business model canvas, teamwork opportunities, quizzes and presentations. In addition, the platform has a forum aimed at sharing knowledge and ideas between students and teachers.

The content of the platform is designed to help teachers prepare interactive courses for businesses so that they get to know innovation techniques while using this digital tool. Startapp.mk is a great learning tool for anyone interested in starting their own business, helping users to start their entrepreneurial journey with innovative approaches and develop their business model.

It is worth noting that the online platform is part of the BeCircular project’s efforts to support citizens living in the cross-border region, especially young people, by teaching them the basics of business development. The aim is to create better working conditions for young people and boost employment, with particular emphasis on innovative business models in the field of the Green Economy. The project including the e-learning platform is supported by the EU funds of Interreg – IPA CBC as part of the project BeCircular – Boosting Employment through Entrepreneurship in Circular Economy.

In conclusion, the project primarily focuses on creating employment opportunities for graduates by exploiting the comparative advantages of the cross-border connection between Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia.

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Teaching the teachers

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The Association of young entrepreneurs and researchers – ZMAI and the team conducted a training session for entrepreneurship teachers in Pelagonia region, as part of the BeCircular – IPA CBC project. The training’s online introduction day was the 19th of December of 2022, while physical trainings took place on 21st and 22nd December at Prilep (Faculty of Economics). Furthermore, the online trainings for the platform and the teaching plans for the second semester of the school year were conducted on the 26th and 27th January.

The training was held in order to help the participants understand the fields of entrepreneurship and apprehend a start-up methodology. The presentation started with a new innovative way of how the expertise of entrepreneurship can be taught in schools. The main goal was to introduce a more practical and educational approach in which the students will pry the process of making their own start-up and understand the know-how while learning.

14 teachers from almost all schools in Pelagonia region participated in the training, including the cities of Bitola, Prilep, Resen, and Demir Hisar.
All the participants went through a practice business model scheme with a well skilled trainer and have been trained on how to interview clients and seek potential business ideas.

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The training took place in the Faculty of Economics, the location where a new entrepreneurship and creative center will be established as part of this project. It worths mentioning that after the in-person trainings in Prilep, online trainings were held for the teachers to get to know the new e-learning platform, start-app.mk, which they can use during their classes. The platform consists of presentations, videos, a digital business canvas and short quizzes. At the last part of the training, the teachers were asked to engrave their teaching plans and encourage their students to join the platform and create groups for e-learning. Αt the completion of the physical training all the participants had to integrate the knowledge into their regular curriculum.

The BeCircular project seeks to develop the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit among young people, helping them create new job opportunities and decrease unemployment. The strategic location between Greece and EU cooperatively with the BeCircular project can give a further development and progress to the region and can be a good starting point for a better and a greener future.

 

2nd Periodic Meeting of BECircular Project

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The 2nd Periodic Meeting of BECircular project was held in Prilep on the 23.02.2023, in the Entrepreneurship and Creative center in the Faculty of Economics of the University of Prilep.
In the framework of the meeting, 12 participants from all 4 project partners had the opportunity to meet in person, introduce new project team members, participating in the project, agree on how to work together effectively, consolidate the project background as well as its requirements, as well as to meet in person and discuss with representatives of the Joint Secretariat.
Specifically, each partner held a presentation of all Work Packages (WPs) in relation to activities, implemented so far, potential deviations and corrective measures and activities foreseen in the next 6 months.
In conclusion, all partners agreed that the project’s implementation is on schedule concerning the project scope and deliverables. However, a 1-month extension has been requested in agreement with the Joint Secretariat to achieve higher participation rates related to the final event in September 2023.
You can see bellow some meeting photos:

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