BUSINESS

The Circular Economy

of Our Region

The Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre Ostrava a.s. (MSIC) provides services and programmes that

support growth, innovation and aid small- and medium-sized companies and startups not only in their

beginnings but with long-term maintenance of their business. The centre is also involved in sustaining

a circular economy for which it is working on multiple projects.

One of these projects is called CECI

(Citizen Involvement in Circular Economy

Implementation), which is financed under

the auspices programme Interred Europe.

The goal of this project is to raise awareness

of circular economies and highlight the

importance of citizen involvement. It aims

to inspire the adoption of sustainable

consumer habits and behaviour in order

to promote a collective effort to decrease

waste production and save energy.

This is done through the provision of

new sustainable services, for example,

a shared economy, the extension of

product life cycles through reuse, repair,

refurbishment and renovation. In the past,

MSIC hosted educational events on

various topics aimed at citizens and their

database of good practices, provided

by international partners, also plays an

important role.

Another project which MSIC is involved

with is the integrated project ‘IP LIFE for

Coal Mining Landscape Adaptation’, Its

intention is to successfully implement

the region’s adaptation strategies for

the effects of climate change, adopted

in January of 2020, and, through this,

increase the climate resistance of

the Moravian-Silesian Region, increase

the environmental quality for local citizens

and support the sustainable development

of the region. In the following years,

MSIC will be leading a support centre for

companies that make use of adaptation

technologies. Currently, we are in

the process of setting up the centre’s

operation, compiling methodologies and

building up a database of specialists. All of

this will lead to so-called ‘climate scans’ of

companies.

As of right now, we are collaborating

with IdeaHUB z.s. on company scans,

constructing a database of free materials

— www.material-market.cz — where we

give materials and resources that would

otherwise be thrown out or neglected as

unused inventory a second life. The goal

of this project is to create a link between

the supply and demand of these materials

and eliminate waste produced during

production.

IdeaHUB is a shared development centre

based in MSIC that unites a community of

creative people on the basis of research,

development, application, education

or the popularisation of innovative

technologies. IdeaHUB offers a prototype

workshop where members can create

prototypes of their construction solutions

when working on projects and learn

how to work with modern production

technologies. Its main goals are to support

the application of graduates in technical

fields and to bolster the competitiveness

of practical products and processes.

IdeaHUB’s support gave rise to, for

example, benches made out of upcycled minecarts and stools made from

discarded fire hoses and pipes or bar

counter. It also helped save chair frames

that would otherwise have been burned.

Their refurbishment made use of leftover

fillings and fabric that other companies

would have otherwise discarded. CreoKit

was also something that came out of

IdeaHUB. Aimed at children aged five and

above, it is a creative wooden building kit

mainly made of wooden sticks obtained

from waste in arrow production.

All activities in the field of the circular

economy are welcome here, and we

would be happy to familiarise any

companies interested in taking part with

their options.

Text: Klára Golabová, Project Developer,

MSIC a.s. a Vladimír Dostál, IdeaHUB, z.s.

Foto: MSIC a.s.

POSITIV 2/2022 ǀ 29