Research and transfer groups

This is a dynamic research group working closely with industries, business associations and public organisations in the Basque Country, Spain and Europe to support their sustainable transition towards the circular economy.

The main goal of the research group is to help companies improving their resource efficiency and economic performance, without compromising the environment and society. We believe that generating a net positive impact is the only way to become truly circular and sustainable. For this reason, we bring multidisciplinary expertise to our research projects by applying system thinking. 

The research group integrates experts from the fields of industrial design and industrial engineering, environmental and social science and business management. Accordingly, we are able to address the whole innovation cycle of industrial projects, from the product and technology ideation and/or conceptualization, to the experimentation and piloting, the validation of results and the final implementation and scaling up, including business development. Always from a circular and a sustainable perspective in order to drive positive change towards more resource efficient, low-carbon and, ultimately, sustainable production and consumption systems.

The vision of the research group is to become one of the most active and relevant excellence groups in the Basque Country and Spain undertaking high-quality and high-impact R&D projects in the fields of circular economy and sustainable development. Accordingly, our research activity is particularly oriented to respond to the challenges defined in the RIS3 Euskadi and the HORIZON Europe agendas.

More specifically, the research group can provide value to industrial projects through the development of the following activities:

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Social Life Cycle Analysis (S-LCA).
• Eco-design of cleaner production technologies.
• Circular product design and servitization.
• Eco-efficiency and eco-effectivity of production and consumption systems.
• Development and application of tools and techniques to prolong the lifespan of products and technologies (reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacturing).
• Development and application of methodologies and toolboxes to support circular and sustainable business model innovation.
• Definition and calculation of circularity and sustainability indicators.

HIGHLIGHTED PROJECTS