By joining forces in the CURIOST project the 11 project partners from 7 Central European countries - together with their associated partners - promote sustainable product development in SME + small midcaps. This is a major contribution for fostering circular economy in the participating countries.

PPs jointly develop a transnational strategy for fostering sustainable product development in SME + small midcaps. This joint strategy covers all regions, includes a clear vision for the four focus sectors for 2030+ and opportunities to reach the vision, technological, organizational and economic aspects that enable the scale-up of sustainable products and necessary changes in SME + small midcaps in order to foster the green, sustainable and circular transition of product development.

This output concludes the two-stage piloting following an adapted design thinking methodology30 companies together with creative heads and PPs develop their sustainable + circular minimum viable products in an iterative process of creation + test +upgrade. The first stage is carried out regionally, while the second stage spans across borders, emphasizing sector-based grouping of the SME + small midcaps. The business cases derived from this promote CHANGE toward a green transition.

The solution serves as THE METHODOLOGY KIT for SME + small midcaps on how to proceed when developing ecologically and economically sustainable products in Central Europe. The dissemination and uptake activities for SME + small midcaps will enable them to apply proper tools from the methodology kit to move towards a greener and circular economy.

The CURIOST action plan (CAP) integrates the analysis of the latest EU legal and policy framework and the smart specialization-strategies of the PP regions, with the assessment of regional SME + midcap needs into a “big picture” of regional highpotential fields that should be brought to the ground by the policy level in the PP regions. The CAP presents recommended policy actions from transnational + partner regions perspective (D.3.3.2), which have high transfer potential to the whole Europe. To build a strong foundation for the CURIOST Action Plan (CAP), project partners, led by ConPlusUltra, developed an Integrated Strategic Framework under Activity 3.1. This framework underpins the jointly developed Action Plan, a key CURIOST output that provides tailored strategies for each partner region. Focusing on sustainable product development and the circular economy transition for SMEs and midcaps, partners conducted in-depth regional and European policy analyses, resulting in two key deliverables. The Analysis of S3 Strategies in Central Europe provides an assessment of S3 strategies, complemented by updated Circular Economy and Innovation strategies relevant to Central Europe. The second part of the deliverable includes a transnational policy analysis, examining strategies that serve as additional enablers of the circular economy transition at both national and regional levels in seven partner countries. The conclusions present a collection of support instruments, key challenges, and a relevant SWOT analysis for each partner country. The Analysis of the Latest EU Legal & Policy Frameworks focuses on the European regulatory framework relevant to the CURIOST project. Its aim is to present new and updated regulations that are binding for all EU member states but thematically aligned with the CURIOST project, including the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation, the New Circular Economy Action Plan, the Regulation on Machinery, and the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy. The second part of the analysis provides a cross-country review of how European directives have been implemented in national legislation, highlighting the level of readiness and commitment of Central European regions and countries in transitioning to sustainability and circular economy practices. The conclusions offer insights into similarities and differences among partner countries in the adoption and implementation of European policies, as well as a SWOT analysis for each country.