How can your business get free help through the ARCS and CEIC programmes?
A lot is happening in the circular economy space at Swansea University, so if you are a business or third-sector organisation looking for help to become more sustainable where can you start? Let's dive into the details of two programmes for local businesses that are helping businesses turn their ambition into action.
CEIC (pronounced “cake”) and ARCS are two University programmes currently funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The complementary activities are focused on helping businesses to adopt circular economy principles to create new or improved products, services and processes.
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CEIC, Circular Economy Innovation Communities, is a collaborative project between Cardiff Metropolitan University and Swansea University. Originally working with public sector organisations, the programme now supports private businesses and third-sector organisations to learn about the circular economy and join a community of like-minded individuals.
The 6-month programme is open to participants from Carmarthenshire, Neath-Port Talbot, and Swansea. Participants join monthly workshops where they are educated on the circular economy and supported to develop clean growth innovation and carbon reduction plans. These plans can then be used for the funding opportunities they are introduced to as part of the programme. By creating cohorts of cross-industry organisations, CEIC builds strong and supportive communities of practice — allowing businesses to support each other, even once the programme is over. The next cohort starts on the 16th of May, with another to follow in September.
Register your interest here >>
The Applied Research for Circular Solutions (ARCS) programme is about connecting businesses with academic expertise, to innovate using circular approaches. Where CEIC typically focuses on wider skills, knowledge building and planning, ARCS looks at implementation and activation. ARCS offer support on a one-to-one basis, using the team's expertise to apply the right tools and interventions to develop new products, processes and services.
ARCS is available to businesses of all sizes and industries based in Carmarthenshire, Neath-Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, and Swansea. The programme can offer around 200 hrs worth of support to each company it works with.