Circular Economy Chairs

The aim of this inter-university chair in the circular economy is to contribute to the objectives of S3, and more specifically to the roadmap of the Strategic Innovation Initiative (SII) WIN4C (Walloon Initiative for Circular Materials), which is part of Strategic Innovation Domain (SID) no. 1 'Circular materials'. The IIS covers 3 thematic pillars: metals, polymers and minerals.

This DIS groups together innovative activities linked to the "circularization" of materials, with a view to reducing resource consumption, increasing regional autonomy and developing new market opportunities. The ambition of the WIN4C IIS is for Wallonia to be recognized in 2030 as the "Recycling Valley" at the heart of Europe, in terms of both innovation and the deployment of a genuine circular economy for technological materials (minerals, metals, polymers)".

Win4C aims to anticipate the major changes that lie ahead in the management of our resources and in the relocation of production, repair and recycling activities within our territory. One of its main focuses is to develop training opportunities, in this case at university level, in the circular economy and technological materials.

Within the framework of the Circular Economy Chairs, research projects will aim to facilitate the transition of industries active in the extraction, elaboration and implementation of materials (thematic focus) towards circular business models. They will analyze the business opportunities and socio-economic impact in the Walloon region (territorial anchoring), while paying close attention to the international and particularly cross-border dimension of the initiatives envisaged.