Circular economy and hydrogen in the spotlight at Krakow Technology Park

Krakow Technology Park (Poland) recently held an event dedicated to two key themes in the field of sustainability: the circular economy, and hydrogen energy.

Taking place on 27 April, the event was an opportunity to share knowledge and best practices from both domestic and international sources, and sought to inspire and encourage reflection and action under the main theme of “Green transformation – from vision to action”. It brought together representatives of public administration, research institutes and universities, as well as entrepreneurs interested in developing the concept of a circular economy who are open to cooperation with regional digital innovation hubs.

The first part of the event focused on the circular economy, with representatives of the European Commission emphasising how important the green transformation is for EU initiatives in the field of research and innovation. Agnieszka Włodarczyk-Gębik, the coordinator of the Smart Circuit project at Krakow Technology Park, explored the importance of reliable knowledge and good practices in the field of green transformation, sharing examples from nine European countries. Speakers from Austria and the Czech Republic also shared success stories from circular value chains that help to ensure sustainable development in industry, demonstrating the potential of cleaner production in solving existing environmental problems.

Regional cooperation for a Green Europe was also high on the agenda, with a panel discussion looking at support instruments for entrepreneurs in the circular economy and debating whether European regions have an obligation to create circular economy strategies and roadmaps towards green transformation with a look at green initiatives in Małopolska, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria.

The “Hydrogen – fuel of the future” panel, part of the Science Meets Regions project, focused on the current state of research on hydrogen in the region and learn about potential paths for its use as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

Małopolska region is strongly committed to hydrogen as a more stable, secure, cheaper, and environmentally friendly source of energy, and aspires to be a national leader in the development of hydrogen technologies: it is already home to the Małopolska Center for Innovative Hydrogen Storage Technologies, and is participating in the Silesian-Małopolska Hydrogen Valley. Scientists and public sector representatives were able to discuss scalability, ideas regarding cooperation for the construction of the Małopolska hydrogen ecosystem, and the sectors where it could be most readily rolled out.

If you’d like to catch up on the discussions in detail, a recording of the event is available to watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwmn7KcU3OQ