IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems is contributing to the European research initiative “SymbioTech – The European Alliance for Advancing Circular Economy via Digital Industrial Symbiosis”. Funded through the Erasmus+ programme and coordinated by the AGH University of Cracow, the project brings together a broad consortium of European universities, companies, and innovation agencies. At its core, SymbioTech focuses on the use of digital technologies – including AI-driven solutions, digital tools, and modern learning platforms – to promote industrial symbiosis and thereby support the further development of the circular economy across Europe.
News
Digital Innovation for the Circular Economy
Central to SymbioTech is the question of how digital innovations can facilitate industrial symbiosis. In this context, waste streams, by-products, or surplus resources produced by a given firm is exploited as input by other firms. This methodology is able to generate remarkable environmental benefits, since it allows to reduce the amount of waste disposed of in the landfill and the amount of primary inputs used by the industrial sector.
Digitalisation as a driver of the green transition
The project team at IMC Krems, based at the Institute Digitalisation and Informatics and comprising Sarita Paudel, Deepak Dhungana and Ruben Ruiz-Torrubiano, contributes its expertise in software engineering and intelligent systems. The goal is to develop innovative digital solutions that enable companies to engage more easily in industrial symbiosis and accelerate the transition towards a circular economy.
“SymbioTech provides an opportunity to combine digitalisation and sustainability in a meaningful way. Through data-driven approaches, we can enable industrial cooperation in forms that were previously not possible,” emphasises project lead Sarita Paudel.
Innovative training formats and new professional roles for the green economy
In addition to technological developments, SymbioTech places strong emphasis on capacity building and knowledge exchange:
- Development of micro-training modules related to the circular economy and digital symbiosis solutions
- Organisation of live training sessions and peer-to-peer learning formats
- Promotion of a new professional role, the “SymbioTech Managers”, who are expected to play a key role in Europe’s green economy ecosystem
These measures aim to support SMEs, educational institutions and stakeholders in the green economy, while creating new opportunities for sustainable entrepreneurship and skilled employment.