The Circular SPRONG

The Circular SPRONG (CS) is a collaboration between Fontys and Avans Universities of Applied Sciences, designed to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy in Noord-Brabant. In its first four years, CS built a strong foundation through Living Labs where students, researchers, and companies co-developed circular solutions. These experiments raised awareness, built capacity, and supported the integration of circular topics into education and circular practices into regional business life.
Building on these achievements, Phase 2 takes a bold step forward. The ambition is to evolve into a cohesive, integrated, future-proof research group serving as the regional centre of expertise for circular transitions.
Four pillars drive the ambition in Phase 2:
Transition from Living Labs to more inclusive, long-term collaborative learning environments that are flexible enough to continuously integrate input from the participants concerning dynamic societal challenges, rather than focusing on isolated assignments.
Synthesis (of learnings across sectors and research topics) and dissemination of the co-created knowledge, application tools and best practices to accelerate regional circular transitions.
Joint publicly funded Master's in Sustainability Transitions (MST), starting in 2026, as structural link between applied research and advanced education.
UpNew platform as a hub for dissemination and sharing knowledge, tools, and outcomes connecting the broader regional ecosystem.
Through its four pillars, CS will create lasting impact via networks extending beyond the project. Students and lecturers gain competencies to drive sustainable transformation. Researchers translate learnings into widely applicable knowledge, methods, and tools. SMEs access practical frameworks to scale circular practices across sectors. Policymakers benefit from evidence-based recommendations supporting systemic change and long-term collaboration.
By the end of Phase 2, CS aims to be firmly embedded in its regional ecosystems, connected to national and international circular economy initiatives, and serve as a model for practice-based, systemic innovation in circular transitions.