WE.Circular Final Event in Graz Celebrated Women Shaping Circular Futures

On 20 May 2026, the WE.Circular partnership gathered in Graz, Austria, for the project’s Final Event, hosted by Innovation Region Styria and held at the Styrian Chamber of Commerce under the theme “Women Shaping Circular Futures.”

The event brought together project partners, stakeholders, strategic partners, policy representatives, business support organisations, experts and companies from across the Danube Region. It provided an opportunity to present the key results achieved during the project and to discuss how these outputs can continue to support women entrepreneurs in the circular and digital transition.

The event was opened with welcoming words from Gabi Lechner, Vice-President of the Styrian Chamber of Commerce, followed by an overview of the WE.Circular journey and its main achievements presented by Claudia Krobath, Innovation Region Styria.

The first thematic session was dedicated to policies and strategic tools for advancing women-led circular transformation. The session highlighted the importance of policy frameworks, transnational cooperation and practical instruments in creating stronger conditions for women entrepreneurs, competitiveness and regional innovation. A key contribution was made by Karmen Maričić, Coordinator of Priority Area 8 “Competitiveness of Enterprises” of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, who presented the wider Danube Region perspective on enterprise competitiveness and cooperation.

The session also included the presentation of the Transnational Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs’ Circular Transition by Mariya Zlateva, RAPIV, as well as the Policy Learning Centre and the Virtual Toolbox, presented by Diána Tilla Nagy, Hungarian Economic Development Agency. These outputs demonstrate how strategic guidance, knowledge exchange and practical tools can support the integration of women entrepreneurs into circular economy, digitalisation and competitiveness policies.

The second session focused on learning, skills, networks and mentorship. Partners presented the WE.Circular Learning Network and the WE.Circular Training Programme, which were developed to support women entrepreneurs through accessible knowledge, practical resources, capacity-building and transnational exchange. The discussion was further enriched by the presentation of complementary initiatives such as Ecosys4you and IMPACTA, which brought additional perspectives on youth entrepreneurship, mentoring and support for women business actors.

The third thematic session was dedicated to business support and regional impact. It presented the WE.Circular Labs and the circular business models developed and tested within the project. These results show how circular economy ideas can be transformed into practical actions for SMEs and women entrepreneurs. The session also included examples from B2GreenHub and the Office of the Regional Government of Styria, focusing on circular and digital transition and the role of public administration in supporting these processes.

A special moment of the event was the Award Ceremony, during which Certificates of Recognition were presented to stakeholders and strategic partners who supported WE.Circular throughout its implementation and contributed to the achievement of its results. Recognition was given to the Coordinators of Priority Area 8 “Competitiveness of Enterprises” of the EUSDR, representatives of public institutions and ministries, business support organisations, experts and companies with a special contribution to the project’s impact.

On the following day, 21 May 2026, the Final Stakeholder Meeting took place. During the meeting, partners and stakeholders validated some of the most important results of the overall WE.Circular work, including the project’s strategic outputs, WE.Circular Labs, circular business models, learning and networking tools, and recommendations for future uptake by public authorities, business support organisations and innovation ecosystems.

The WE.Circular project placed strong emphasis on the need for more practical, accessible and inclusive support for women entrepreneurs in the circular economy. Through the development of strategic and practical tools, pilot testing of circular business models, creation of a transnational learning network and active involvement of stakeholders, the project contributed to strengthening the ecosystem for women entrepreneurship in the Danube Region.

WE.Circular has been more than a project. It has become a transnational community of partners, experts, institutions and entrepreneurs united by the shared ambition to make the circular economy more accessible, applicable and sustainable for women entrepreneurs.

The partnership extends its sincere thanks to all speakers, partners, stakeholders, strategic partners and supporting organisations who contributed to the successful implementation of WE.Circular and to shaping the circular futures celebrated in Graz.