UKRI National Circular Economy Hub (CE-HUB)

Part 2 of Summary:- The development of the UK's first Circular Economy Observatory to provide a digital systems view of national resource flows as a foundation for modelling and quantifying potential benefits, opportunities and interventions to inform and influence national leadership and industrial decision-making,
- An inclusive and diverse multidisciplinary community of academics, industrialists, government, policymakers and end-users. The CE-HUB will foster a safe environment to inspire and support new collaborations, mentorship, early-career research and feasibility testing across disciplines and resource flows. - The co-creation of a National Repository of Knowledge and shared understanding. We will draw together our extensive community to develop novel methods, tools, approaches and metrics that can overcome barriers to progress. We will use our informed position to influence and accelerate future research directions and create a long-term vision and road map for an inclusive, competitive and circular industrial strategy. The CE-HUB will house a unique national online repository of knowledge, tools, expertise, and initiatives. - The formation of the first National Circular Skills and Training Platform through which students, early career researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and employers will be able to match requirements in skills to existing and emerging educational offerings. - The co-creation of the first National Circular Economy brand to forge the way in the global advocacy of the Circular Economy. We will develop a recognised, distinctive standard or charter for those who lead the way in its delivery; changing the future of organisational values and behaviours. The CE-HUB will provide stakeholders nationally and internationally with a central point of reference for Circular Economy research and practise. It will be the first national research hub of its kind to lead support for Circular Economy practices, track materials and waste, develop novel and innovative approaches to feed legacy materials, by-products and waste into value-creating activities and engage stakeholder communities though compelling narratives for improved understanding of the principles of circular economy.

The CE-HUB will deliver unprecedented impact across the National Circular Economy community through National co-ordination of knowledge, expertise and practise, an inclusive and extensive programme of activities and proactive engagement with users and a wide variety of stakeholders.
The beneficiaries of the CE-HUB will include academics from across a wide variety of disciplines, practitioners from across industrial sectors, policymakers, government, civil society and user groups. These are captured across micro, meso and macro levels:
Micro Level: Five UKRI Circular Economy Centres;
Meso Level 1: Policy, Industry, Government, Business, Royal Society and Chartered Institute networks (including EMF, WRAP, UKRI, Knowledge Exchange Networks, Policy Connect, The Circular Economy Club, The European Remanufacturing Network and NESTA) ;
Meso Level 2: Enabling research infrastructures (e.g. the UK Catapults, Alan Turing Institute and the research community (including UKRI funded initiatives: large centres, programme grants, research networks and Centres for Doctoral Training);
Macro Level: Wider Society and User Groups

The benefits produced and facilitated by the CE-HUB include insight and analysis into what works and doesn't in Circular Economy implementation, identification and quantification of economic, industrial, environmental and societal benefits and opportunity, relevant policy and an inclusive approach to the formation of a Circular Economy road map and circular industrial strategy. Specific impacts will be achieved through:
(1) Support for Circular Economy practices that leverage a wide range of technologies and platforms to (a) reorganise value chains to improve resource and asset productivity; (b) track materials and waste, (c) develop novel and innovative approaches to feed legacy materials, by-products and waste into value-creating activities; (d) engage large audiences for improved understanding of the principles of circular economy and the potential for delivering a step-change in utility, natural capital regeneration and value from reduced resource throughput and more circular consumer behaviours,
(2) The demonstration, modelling and validation of in-depth Circular Economy system case studies showing the connectivity between financial, resource and societal benefits and through associated documentation and dissemination.
(3) Development of novel, user-oriented tools, methods and data sets to quantify resource and financial benefits and the dissemination of these through the CE-HUB and industry networks of the 5 UKRI_CECs.
(4) Promoting techniques, tools and systems for industrial and value chain participants to track value leakage, resources, and waste.
(5) Industry input, CE-HUB observatory and connectivity with technology development projects to build a diverse multidisciplinary community of academics, industrialists, government, policymakers and end-users to inspire and support new collaborations, mentorship, early-career research and feasibility testing across disciplines and resource flows that more readily support the productive application.
(6) Demonstrating the multiple economic, environmental and social benefits from Circular Economy system-level configuration of economies and societies and to achieve, and go beyond, societal targets for zero carbon, waste and pollution
The CE-HUB will be governed by an Executive Board comprising key stakeholder representation. A wide series of workshops, talks, events and social media activities are included in the engagement plan to maximise user-engagement from the outset. A key principle is to translate research into evidence, practice, frameworks and tools for dissemination through training and executive education.