Santiago de Compostela, Spain – March 24–27, 2025 — As part of Work Package 6 of the Erasmus+ CirculEC project, a four-day training was successfully conducted at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Administration, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), in close cooperation with all project partners.  

The training brought together academic staff from Central Asian partner universities and focused on the fundamentals of the circular economy, circular business models, and sustainable entrepreneurship. It featured a blend of theoretical lectures, real case studies, and interactive group work to support curriculum development.

Opening remarks were delivered by USC Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation and Innovation, Prof. Gumersindo Feijoo, and project coordinators Adrián Dios Vicente and Xavier Vence. The program began with an introduction and a case study presentation, followed by sessions on circular economy principles, business models, and eco-innovation.

Highlights included:

• A presentation by Prof. Xavier Vence on the circular economy and its global importance;

• Case studies on circular policies and environmental taxation by Sugey López and colleagues;

• A session on sustainable entrepreneurship and green financing by Nailya Saifulina;

• Company insights from ARROUPA on sustainable textile reuse;

• Practical exercises using business model frameworks and ecological innovation tools led by Ángeles Pereira.

The event concluded with an evaluation session, including a focus group discussion and feedback analysis to inform future training and project development.

By fostering knowledge exchange and hands-on learning, this seminar reinforced joint efforts to promote sustainability and innovation in higher education across Central Asia.