The LIAISE COST Action has officially unveiled its latest milestone report, announcing the deployment of a highly anticipated collaborative online platform designed to accelerate the global transition toward sustainable industrial ecosystems. Developed by the experts of LIAISE Working Group 3, in collaboration with the LIAISE Action Chair, Almudena Muñoz Puche, and the CETEM team responsible for the technical implementation and maintenance of the platform, this digital infrastructure addresses one of the most persistent bottlenecks in the circular economy: the severe fragmentation of critical strategic information. The platform operates as an advanced intelligence ecosystem, accessible here, to support rigorous, evidence-based decision-making for researchers, industrial actors, and policymakers worldwide.
While industrial symbiosis offers an exceptionally practical framework for repurposing the waste and by-products of one sector as valuable resource inputs for another, organisations consistently struggle to navigate the complex web of emerging technologies, shifting regulatory frameworks, and viable market synergies. To resolve this, the new digital environment integrates the specialised VINCI Technology Watch software, replacing manual data collection with automated, daily intelligence retrieval from international patents, policy portals, and high-impact scientific publications.
To ensure the data remains highly relevant and strategically actionable for a global expert audience, the platform’s architecture is strictly organised around four critical watch factors. First, it captures comprehensive policy and regulatory intelligence by continuously monitoring international legal frameworks, waste classifications, and public support mechanisms that govern implementation conditions. Concurrently, the system maps data and resource flow intelligence, aggregating the latest methodological advancements in material tracking, resource standardisation, and digital interoperability. To facilitate immediate practical application, a third dimension identifies collaboration ecosystems and key actors, spotlighting active industrial clusters, governance models, and multi-stakeholder networks. Finally, the platform tracks enabling technologies and business models, isolating breakthrough valorisation techniques, energy recovery systems, and innovative circular financing schemes that ensure long-term economic viability.
“The implementation of industrial symbiosis across Europe has historically been hindered by fragmented information and limited stakeholder collaboration.
This platform fundamentally changes the landscape by providing a shared digital environment where critical, expert-validated intelligence is continuously disseminated to support strategic, evidence-based decision-making.”Prof. Merim Kasumović, WG3 leader
What truly distinguishes the LIAISE platform is its collaborative validation workflow. Rather than relying solely on automated scraping, retrieved data is funnelled into a pending review environment where dedicated thematic experts evaluate the relevance, accuracy, and scientific validity of every result before it reaches the public interface.
WG3 co-leader Dr Gamze Nur Mujdeci emphasises the global impact of this methodology:
“By bridging the gap between theoretical models and industrial practice, we are empowering researchers, policymakers, and corporate leaders to seamlessly identify new valorisation solutions, anticipate regulatory shifts, and build robust, cross-sectoral resource synergies on an international scale.”
Beyond its technology watch capabilities, the platform functions as a collaborative knowledge-sharing environment where experts can validate information, contribute new insights, and collectively strengthen the evidence base supporting Industrial Symbiosis implementation. This participatory approach promotes networking, stakeholder engagement, interdisciplinary cooperation, and collective intelligence generation across the Industrial Symbiosis community. Through this collaborative approach to strategic intelligence, LIAISE Working Group 3 has delivered more than a repository of information. It has established a dynamic transnational community of practice supporting the transition toward circular and resource-efficient industrial systems. Researchers, policymakers, industrial stakeholders, environmental agencies, and industrial consortia are encouraged to access the platform, configure personalised alerts, and contribute to the continuous development of this shared knowledge ecosystem.
Further information
LIAISE COST Action webpage.
Network’s own website www.liaise-action.eu.
Circular Tech Scouting database vinciindustrialsymbiosis.liaise-action.eu.
Follow LIAISE on YouTube, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
Earlier COST Action News about LIAISE: Circular economy solutions to address major environmental challenges (January 2025)