Second CCRI Call for cities and regions: join the mentoring programme and receive tailored support for your circular economy transition journey

Second CCRI Call for cities and regions: join the mentoring programme and receive tailored support for your circular economy transition journey

The Community of the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI), one of ERRIN's projects, is growing. The CCRI Knowledge Hub team provides essential support to cities and regions transitioning to a circular economy. To continue further extending its offerings, it is now launching the second call for the CCRI mentoring programme.

What kind of support does the mentoring programme include? 

As part of this new programme, selected cities and regions will benefit from tailored resources and expert guidance to navigate the complexities of their circular transition.

The programme will start with a comprehensive diagnostic assessment of their current circular transition readiness. Based on this assessment, the CCRI team will co-design – together with stakeholders from each city or region – highly-tailored support pathways so that the assistance provided well meets beneficiaries’ needs and takes into consideration the specificities of their local context. The support pathways serve as a structured guide, developed in collaboration with local and regional stakeholders, to help cities and regions advance towards circularity. They are based on the needs identified during the initial assessment and will include tailored workshops, expert mentoring sessions on specific topics, and access to comprehensive materials such as guides, manuals, and other resources.

Beneficiary cities and regions will have the opportunity to receive expert mentoring focused on the four key areas of the CCRI Knowledge Hub: public engagement, innovation and technology, business models and financial support, and impact evaluation. 

Joining the CCRI Mentoring Programme is an excellent opportunity for cities and regions that are eager to accelerate the implementation of circular economy practices.

What kind of commitment is required from the regions? 

The mentees’ responsibilities: 

  • To participate actively in the 12 online sessions of 2 hours each with the assigned mentors (two in total). The mentors are experts selected through an open call and experts from our consortium.
  • To commit to dedicate these 24 hours with their mentors and the extra time required to prepare the meetings and discuss internally the issues arising from the mentoring programme. 

The mentoring programme is planning to be received in a maximum of 3 months. The second group of cities and regions will after the summer of 2025 and it can be open until the end of the project (Dec 2026).

Who can apply? 

The call is open to any interested cities or regions, regardless of their size, location, advancement in their circular transition, or previous involvement in the CCRI (newcomers welcome!).

Please note that CCRI Pilots that are already supported by the CCRI Coordination and Support Office are not eligible to participate in this mentoring programme.

You can find more details on the CCRI mentoring programme attached. This programme is managed by the CCRI Knowledge Hub team.

How to apply for the second call? 

A first call for expression of interest closed on 15 December. Cities and regions can now express interest for the second mentoring programme, through this online form, which will start from September 2025 onwards.