The 2nd Circular Economy Project Competition has been announced.

Under the organization of a Chair directed by the URJC and the City Council of Fuenlabrada, students can submit their proposals until Friday, May 23.

Daniel Blazquez

The Chair 'Circular Economy for Sustainable Waste Management' of the Rey Juan Carlos University and the City Council of Fuenlabrada are organizing, for the second consecutive year, a competition for projects on the circular economy, aimed at all URJC students who have started or completed projects related to the chosen topic throughout 2024 and 2025. On this occasion, the main purpose of this activity is to support, promote and encourage research in the different fields and areas of work of the Chair itself, as well as its contribution to different sustainable development goals.

Initially, the main topics the submissions must address are waste prevention and sustainable design, through various strategies and practices that minimize waste and environmental impact; reuse and recycling, through feasibility and sustainability assessments; and other topics related to education, awareness-raising, and public policy. However, as Inés Bozalongo, a researcher at the Chair and a member of the competition's organizing committee, points out, "the topics presented are not closed; any submission from another field can be submitted, provided it can contribute value to the transition toward a circular economy."

Regarding the competition's dynamics, an initial pre-selection phase will be held, in which an academic jury will select a maximum of eight submissions. Following this initial selection, the selected candidates will compete, compulsorily in person, in a second phase, which will be held as part of the summer course "Circular Economy and Efficient Resource Management," on June 26 at the Fuenlabrada campus. In this final phase, the evaluation panel will be composed not only of university staff but also of members from the administrative and industrial sectors, a decision that, in Bozalongo's words, "allows us to broaden the competition's horizons and objectives beyond the academic spectrum."

Finally, awards will be given in the following three categories: Award for the best thesis, Award for the best final degree or master's degree project, and Award for the best external internship, service-learning project, or any other category of work not included in the previous categories. The winners will receive an honorary diploma and will also have the opportunity to publish a technical article related to their work in the website of the Chair and to visit the facilities of an industrial plant related to waste management and the circular economy.