Date: 16 May 2025
Location: Thessaloniki, GREECE
ENCIRCLE Project Marks Key Milestone at First Plenary Meeting, Driving Digital and Green Transition in Manufacturing
The ENCIRCLE project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 101178230), recently held its first plenary meeting on May 8–9, 2025. Hosted in a hybrid format by the Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH in Wuppertal, Germany, the meeting marked a pivotal moment for the consortium to assess early progress, align on objectives, and chart the next steps toward its ambitious goals.
ENCIRCLE is at the forefront of promoting the twin transition—digital and green—within the manufacturing sector. The project aims to establish circular value chains by harnessing advanced digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Twins, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and Blockchain, all embedded in a human-centric innovation ecosystem. This integrated approach seeks to reduce the environmental footprint of production and enable low-carbon, sustainable manufacturing practices.
The two-day plenary featured detailed presentations across all key Work Packages (WPs), underscoring the strong momentum achieved since the project’s launch. A standout element of the event was the on-site visit to the production facilities of ZINQ, offering partners a firsthand view of operational processes. The visit provided valuable insights for real-world application of research, particularly in terms of data accessibility and use-case development.
Collaborative sessions during the meeting addressed core challenges, including the standardization of Digital Product Passport (DPP) metrics and the refinement of communication interfaces between technological components. These discussions laid the groundwork for future integration efforts and reinforced the project’s commitment to practical, scalable innovation.
With clear action points and strengthened cross-partner collaboration, ENCIRCLE is advancing steadily toward its vision of digitally empowered, circular manufacturing.
For more information, please visit the project website (www.encircle-project.eu) and/or contact us directly:
Dr. Nikolaos Dimitriou
Project Coordinator
nikdim@iti.gr