The Association of Science and Technology Parks of Spain (APTE) is taking part as a partner in the European project Digital Deep Tech Driven Circular Economy (3D-CIRCULAR), funded by the European Union through the Digital Europe programme. This ambitious project, launched on 1 August 2025 and set to run for four years, aims to create the next generation of the educational and certification ecosystem for expert talent to drive a circular and digital European economy.
3D-CIRCULAR brings together 32 partners from 14 European countries, including universities, research centres, standardisation bodies and companies, with the goal of offering specialised educational and training services through pioneering, modular programmes at Master’s, PhD and micro-credential levels. These programmes will integrate sustainability, circular economy, disruptive digital technologies and innovation, ensuring inclusive, accessible and high-quality training across the European Union.
The first working meeting of the consortium took place on 3–4 September in Lesbos (Greece), organised by the University of the Aegean, which coordinates the project. During the meeting, the working guidelines, project governance, and the plan for the development of training and certification programmes were established.
APTE will play a key role in the project by providing feedback on the needs of companies and R&D organisations based in science and technology parks regarding digitalisation and the circular economy, and by promoting access for professionals working in these organisations to the training content to be rolled out under the programme, with particular emphasis on micro-credentials. In this way, the programme’s content will incorporate business demands on the one hand, while on the other hand it will help to create experts in these fields – essential for contributing to a more digital, circular and sustainable Spanish and European economy.
Through its participation, APTE strengthens the commitment of Spanish science and technology parks to sustainable innovation, contributing to the digital and green transformation of the economy and to the development of talent within Spain’s science and technology ecosystem.