Keeping Value Local: Don’t Miss Our bergisch.kompetenz Conference on 24 September 2026! Imagine a medium-sized enterprise (SME) in Germany’s Bergisch city triangle facing multiple simultaneous challenges: soaring raw material prices, fractured supply chains, and increasing client demands for data on product circularity. This is exactly where the project bergisch.kompetenz steps in. Supporting real actors on the ground to address a vital question: How can the Circular Economy become a competitive advantage and resilience strategy for regional SMEs? To bring this transformation to life, the project is hosting a landmark event in autumn 2026. Save the Date: The bergisch.kompetenz Conference 2026 Mark your calendars for a day of inspiration, networking, and actionable business strategies: Date & Time: September 24, 2026 | 08:00 – 17:00 Location: University of Wuppertal, Germany (Lecture Hall 32 & Foyer) Cost: Free of charge Language: German Under the motto “Region in Transition – Shaping a Circular Economy Together”, the conference brings together around 100 participants from industry, craft, science, and politics. Instead of academic keynotes, the focus will be on economic viability and practical solutions. You can look forward to interactive workshops, a dynamic Gallery Walk featuring real corporate use cases, funding overviews, and hands-on toolkits. A special highlight of the day will be the public signing of the Bergisch Circular Economy Declaration—a powerful collaborative signal for a resilient economic region. Moving from theory to practice with CSCP As a project partner, the CSCP is focused on supporting companies to bridge the gap between sustainability and profitability through targeted, hands-on support: Business & Strategy: By analysing regional frameworks to help companies transform traditional sales into viable circular business models, while actively collaborating with regional partners to build a long-lasting business network and ecosystem. Technical Ecosystems: Our team designs concepts to make products and processes circular from scratch, ensuring local material streams are intelligently linked and integrated into the growing regional network. Modern Education Formats: To get workforces excited about change, we have co-developed innovative educational tools. These include a Mobile Escape Room, Serious Games, and business simulations that make circular design and leadership tangible and easy to understand. “The application areas for Bauer & Böcker’s products developed together with the CSCP have opened up new perspectives for product and business model innovation. The results clearly demonstrate the potential of systematically identifying and developing new fields of application.”, says Katja Gehrt from Bauer & Böcker, a manufacturing company based in Remscheid, Germany. Your opportunity: Join the movement for free! Numerous pioneering companies in the region are already on board, transforming their operations and reaping the benefits of resource independence. Your business can be next—and there is no need to wait until the conference. While the project is running, interested SMEs can access all bergisch.kompetenz offers free of charge! Start your journey today with our quick-response Quick-Check: we will assess your company’s circular optimisation potential and, if suitable, launch a tailored Use Case to future-proof your operations. Reach out to Michael Mühlenbein to get started now! To be part of the conference, register here!