On June 12, 2025, we gathered at the Mauritskazerne in Ede for the conference “Co-Creating Solutions for a Circular Society.” The event brought together changemakers from science, policy, and practice to confront a shared challenge: how to radically shift from a linear to a circular society—one that reuses resources, restores ecosystems, and reimagines policy to serve both people and planet.

With a strong focus on collaboration and co-creation, the conference explored two urgent transition themes:

• Circular Safe Hospitals – Rethinking healthcare
• Urban-Rural Circularity – Closing loops between cities and countryside

An interactive discussion between reseachers and stakeholders

The morning featured four thematic subtracks, each rooted in real-world challenges and led by dedicated stakeholders:

• Track 1: Taking Biobased Materials to the Next Level
  With Metropoolregio Eindhoven, Municipality of Helmond, Municipality of Eindhoven, and the National Knowledge Center for Biobased Construction
• Track 2: New Economic, Legal and Governance Models for Circular Regions
  With Bean Deal
• Track 3: Supporting Healthcare Professionals in Making Sustainable Decisions
  With: Milieu Platform Zorg (MPZ)
• Track 4: Harnessing AI to Tackle Pharmaceutical Pollution of Water
  Stakeholder: RIVM

These sessions were collaborative explorations. Participants worked in small groups, shared experiences, challenged assumptions, and sought out research questions for systemic change. The diversity of perspectives led to rich discussions and unexpected insights.

Take a look at the results of the discussions in this photo album.

Projectmarket

During the breaks, the project market opened up for participants to visit. We are proud that we were able to present projects that started up after last year’s conference, as well as projects that come from our community. It was great to see the interaction with tangible wood objects, water meditation, an unusual collaboration hotline, guidelines for circular research, discussions about second hand stores and our own podcast.

Afternoon: From Insight to Action

After lunch, participants brought the ideas coined up in the morning to life in high-energy pressure cooker sessions and think along sessions.

In the pressure cookers, transdisciplinary teams formed around each subtheme and were tasked with developing concrete project proposals eligible for support through the conference’s Seed Funding programme.

The Think Along sessions focussed on biobased building and hospital environments. Together with the participants our team led a guided discussion about how to involve stakeholders in research for real-world impact.

The energy was high, and the results promising: several ideas from both sessions are now being further developed and submitted for funding.

The day concluded with drinks and networking, allowing participants to deepen connections, reflect on what they’d created, and explore next steps. What made this event unique was its shift from discussion to co-creation—from “talking about change” to starting change together.

What’s Next?

Project ideas developed during the conference will now be refined and submitted for funding. A total of €240,000 is available through the Seed Funding Call, supporting early-stage collaborative initiatives.

We want to thank all participants, stakeholders, facilitators and project market participants for their enthusiast and positive engery! Let’s work together on creating a circular society!