CinnovatE Symposium

Date
10 December 2025

Time
10.00 AM–5.00 PM

CinnovatE is a pan-European initiative that embeds technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and circular economy thinking in higher education. Funded by the EIT’s Higher Education Initiative and hosted by Climate-KIC, CinnovatE bridges academia, research, and industry to help students turn circular economy ideas into real-world prototypes and market-ready ventures.

The day will focus on how ideas grow from academic training to hands-on experimentation, through entrepreneurship, to start-ups that launch new ideas into the real world. Presentations will showcase innovative new courses, incubators, and partnerships already designing for the circular economy.

Register to attend in person for an opportunity to participate in open dialogue with educators, commercial partners, industry leaders, investors, and policymakers. Or join the livestream online as we collectively explore the future of innovation, education, and circularity in the built environment.

CinnovatE Partners are IE University, Nord University, Architectural Association School of Architecture, LTVK (Lithuanian Business School), South Summit and PKF Attest InnCome. CinnovatE Symposium is organised by the AA Environmental and Technical Studies Department.

Schedule

9.30am Doors open, tea and coffee

10am Nacho Marti (Cohead Environmental and Technical Studies)
Juan Capeans (Director, Sustainable Transition Hub)
Welcome to CinnovatE Symposium

10.15am Kate Martin (Climate KIC Learning Designer and Producer)
Introduction to CinnovatE Project

10.45am Panel 1
Planting the Seed: Staff Training and Curriculum Change
Moderator: Anna Mestre (AA)

10.50am Anna Mestre (Lecturer AA ETS)
Madaster and digital tools staff training

10.55am Anna Mestre (AA)
AA ETS3 Masterclasses

11am Morten Skjelbred (R&D advisor, Nord Innovation)
Competence for Change for Educators: Methods for Creativity,
Sustainability and Change

11.05am Giles Bruce (AA ETS Course Leader),
Tom Raymont (AA ETS Course Leader)
AA and IE University, comparing courses in environment and technical studies

11.10am Matan Mayer (Associate Professor IE AA and IE University)
AA and IE University, comparing courses in environment and technical studies

11.15am Eglė Brezgytė (Coordinator of Projects, LTVK)
New course: Reverse Logistics, Green Fintech, Generative AI in Business

11.20am Open to the floor — discussion with guests and audience (20 min)

11.40am Break (15 min)

11.55am Panel 2
Nurturing Growth: Practice-Led Courses and New Programmes
Moderator: Anna Font (AA)

12pm Paul Feeney (Unit Master, Inter 11 AA)
Earthbound Social Sculpture

12.05pm Milad Showkatbakhsh (Director AA Emtech PG Programme)
AA DLAB

12.10pm Aljosa Dekleva (AAVS Nanotourism)
Nanotourism

12.15pm Nacho Martí (Co-Head ETS AA)
Ecologies of Innovation: Circular Architecture in the Tropics

12.20pm Manuel Pérez (Chair of the Center for Sustainable Cities IE)
Circular Cities Lab: Centre for Sustainable Cities

12.25pm Morten Skjelbred (R&D advisor, Nord Innovation)
New course: Sustainability In Practice

12.30pm Open to the floor — discussion with guests and audience (on-site) (20 min)

1pm LUNCH BREAK

2pm Panel 3
First Fruits: Mentors, Masterclasses & Start-up Pathways
Moderator: Juan Capeans (IE)

2.05pm Caroline Westberg (Program Manager, Climate Innovation & Entrepreneurship IE)
Climate Entrepreneurship & Circular Innovation : Venture-building in HEIs for
climate tech & circularity startups

2.10pm Caroline Westberg (IE)
Climate Circularity Entrepreneurship

2.15pm Eglė Brezgytė (Coordinator of Projects, LTVK)
Sustainable Entrepreneurship Incubator

2.20pm Eglė Brezgytė (LTVK)
Innovation Support and Tech Transfer

2.25pm Andrea Beleván (Program Manager, South Summit)
Start-ups and Masterclasses: From Deep Tech to Market Impact (ONLINE)

2.30pm Andrea Beleván (South Summit)
Siwego and other selected start-ups (ONLINE)

14:35 Lisbeth Bjerva (Business Developer, NORD Innovation)
Innovation Mapping Across Faculties

2.40pm Lisbeth Bjerva (Nord)
National Network Seminar on Student Innovation

2.45pm Marko Milovanovic (Intermediate 7 Unit Tutor AA)
Incubator (PRERECORDED)

2.50pm Open to floor — discussion with guests and audience (on-site) (20 min)

3.10pm Break (15 min)

3.25pm Panel 4
‘Open Session’: From Circular Cities to Global Impact
Moderator: Caroline Westberg (IE)

3.25pm Caroline Westberg (IE)
Welcome and Introduction

3.30pm Anna Font (AA),
Anna Mestre (AA), and
Juan Capeans (IE)
CinnovatE Wrap up: Lessons and Insights

3.45pm Breandán Goss (ZEEUS)
Sharing lessons from fostering zero-emission entrepreneurship and global
innovation networks within the EIT HEI ecosystem. (ONLINE)

3.55pm Round table:
Moderator: Caroline Westberg (IE)

Participants:

Nacho Martí
Cohead of Environmental and Technical Studies at the Architectural Association,
bringing expertise in environmental design and circularity within architectural education.

Angelė Lileikienė
Lithuanian Business College (LTVK), contributing an academic perspective with a focus
on Green Fintech and how these tools can be embedded across education, business
and research. (ONLINE)

Xavier Aguiló I Aran
Director of Sustainability at SOCOTEC, offering the industry viewpoint on applying
circular principles in construction, engineering and certification.

Asta Anilionė
Head of Klaipėda Women Business Network at Klaipėda Chamber of Commerce,
Industry and Crafts, providing insights from the business community and local
entrepreneurial ecosystem. (ONLINE)

Indrė Butvilė
Member of Business Women Network at Klaipėda Chamber of Commerce, Industry
and Crafts, bringing the legal and regulatory dimension to circular economy adoption. (ONLINE)

Breandán Goss
Senior Innovation and Accelerator Manager at Trinity College Dublin and representative
of our sister project ZEEUS, focusing on zero-emission entrepreneurship and innovation
networks. (ONLINE)

4.30pm Open to the floor — discussion and Q&A

4.45pm Conclusion and closing remarks

5pm End, followed by evening drinks