observatories
Observatories were established at the outset of the project as long-term collaborative platforms supporting knowledge exchange, stakeholder engagement, and the integration of circular design principles into education and practice. Throughout the project, the network steadily expanded, bringing together new stakeholders and strengthening cross-sector collaboration. The Observatories act as bridges between education and practice, supporting the development of skills and knowledge related to circular design, resilience, and the Green Deal. They connect policymakers, industry actors, researchers, educators, and civil society organisations to ensure that project activities remain aligned with real-world needs.
3 Local in Hannover, Barcelona and Genova, embedded in specific territorial contexts and addressing region-specific challenges and opportunities
3 European observatories focusing on broad thematic areas relevant across countries, in the three transversal dimensions of urban transformation, bio-based innovation and circular economy.
european observatories
coordinated by ALDA Association for Local Democracy in collaboration with 20 stakeholders
coordinated by CNR Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche / ERSILIA Foundation in collaboration with 36 stakeholders
coordinated by ARCES Association in collaboration with 22 stakeholders
role of the observatories
The Observatories functioned as advisory and collaborative platforms throughout the project. Their role extended beyond consultation, actively supporting the design, implementation, validation, and long-term uptake of project activities.
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Identifying and validating circular design challenges that informed the challenge-based learning approach and guided the development of educational activities.
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Assessing skills needs by identifying competency gaps in circular design, particularly in relation to green, digital, resilience, and entrepreneurial skills, ensuring alignment between educational programmes and labour market demands.
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Reviewing and validating educational programmes, providing expert feedback on the academic, continuous education, and accelerator curricula to ensure their quality, relevance, and applicability.
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Supporting learners through consultancy sessions, guest lectures, site visits, best-practice exchanges, jury evaluations, and other knowledge-sharing activities that connected education with professional practice.
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Providing continuous feedback on project activities and educational outputs, contributing to the refinement of methodologies and learning materials throughout the project.
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Supporting dissemination and exploitation, acting as multipliers for the project's results and promoting the continued use of CiD methodologies and educational resources beyond the project's lifetime.
observatories engagement
The six CiD Observatories brought together diverse engagement formats to connect education, practice, research, and the circular design community. Through surveys, knowledge exchange, co-creation, networking, and long-term collaboration, stakeholders contributed to the development and refinement of CiD activities and outputs.
29 Knowledge exchange sessions with the Academic Programme
12 Knowledge exchange sessions with the Accelerator Programme
18 Knowledge exchange sessions with Continuous Education
3 Online Observatory events: Have Your Say, Connect+Collaborate and Share and Shape
30-40 Participants per dedicated online Observatory event
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