Scale up your Circular innovations
We focus on circular innovations!
Our New Built Environment Circular ClimAccelerator Programme accelerates advanced start-up teams with innovative solutions fostering the circular economy.
The Built Environment Circular ClimAccelerator offers grants for start-ups combined with a tailor-made accelerator programme with circular focus and climate impact. We connect start-ups with the largest climate-focused community in the world powered by EIT Climate-KIC ClimAccelerator as well as investors, partner cities, corporates and ecosystem partners.
This programme edition also aims to support the implementation of the Global Innovation Hub at Enniscorthy Technology Park in Ireland, particularly in the sector of built environment, construction for high performance buildings and renewable energy technologies.
The programme will be run virtually, free of charge and in English.
We are looking for innovations that integrate circularity approach and footprint indicators (e.g. water usage, land use, biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, energy demand, CO2 emissions, among others) to reduce the pressure on the Earth’s biophysical limits as well as promoting a circular socio-economic transformation.
Thematic Areas
Changing the linear production system of the built environment through technologies that are aligned with circular practices, such as modularity, upgradability and prolonged use are currently helping industries to benefit from new services associated with the value retention of product components and materials.
We are extracting and dumping resources at an unsustainable rate, and with global construction output projected to grow 85% by 2030. Hence, there is an urgent need for the construction sector to transition from a linear into a circular economy.
Programme highlights
- Grant funding of up to €18.000 (subject to accepting SAFE note terms)
- Training and coaching sessions with circular focus and Climate Impact Training powered by EIT Climate-KIC
- Comprehensive overview of investment opportunities via EIT CKIC Investor Marketplace
- Connecting start-ups with circular experts
- Pitching and collaboration opportunities with investors, corporates and cities partners
- Peer-to-peer learning and access to our alumni community
Business Model
Development
- 25 teams will be supported
- Grant: up to € 3.000 per team
- Duration: 8 weeks
Validation &
Traction
- Only 15 teams will be selected to advance to this stage
- Grant: up to € 15.000 per team
- Duration: 12 weeks
Investment
Readiness
- 10 teams will be invited to Stage 3 No grants
- Duration: 10 weeks
Timeline
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Open call
Open call15 June
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Closing date
Announcement of selected teams19 September
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Programme Start
Announcement of selected teams26 September
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Stage 1
Stage 126 Sep to 18 Nov
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Stage 2
Stage 218 November to 16 December
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Demo Day
Demo Day9 December
Eligible Criteria
Business stage: start-ups teams with advanced business models, MVP / prototype and company registered in Europe, ideally revenue generating (or close to).
Registration status: preferable companies that are already registered, or in the process of registration. We can only support business registered in Europe*. The legal entity cannot be older than 5 years.
*Companies from the UK, Switzerland and other countries associated to Horizon Europe may participate on the programme, but will not receive grant funding as they are not signed up to the Horizon Europe programme.
Programme fit: your business needs targeted capacity building, networking and financial assistance to succeed.
Team: start-up teams that have a minimum of 2 founders, which together hold at least 75% of equity and are committed to working full-time on their venture.
Market scalability: your business solution has the potential for scalability and monetisation in the built environment market.
Circularity and climate change: your solution is closing a loop in one of our main programme focus areas for the built environment and it goes beyond circularity considering other footprint indicators, such as water usage, land use, biodiversity loss and chemical pollution among other externalities and it has the potential to reduce significantly amount of CO2 emissions.
Start-ups Testimonials
Learn more about the programme in our Info Session and hear the experience from Colette van Jaarsveld, founder of Arcology and Phanos Hadjikyriakou founder of 2050 Material and our corporate partner Ed Murphy, Director of GreenTech HQ Global Innovation Hub.
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