The Digital Innovation and Circular Economy Network+ provides £160,000 funding for vital research

A UK-wide circular economy network led by Professor Fiona Charnley of the University of Exeter has awarded £160,000 to five research projects.

DICE+ Network, an interdisciplinary collaboration between nine UK universities, is a three-year project funded by the ESPRC that aims to leverage the power of digital to drive a circular economy across sectors and value chains.

This includes access to funding to help accelerate research into challenge areas at the interface of digital technologies and circular economy.

It has now awarded a total of £157,275 for three feasibility studies and two knowledge exchange placements.

The feasibility studies (up to £50,000) include:

• SurplusMap: Feasibility of a City-Scale Digital Twin to Enable Surplus Food Redistribution in London (led by Nottingham Business School).
• Busloads of Value: Circular, Digitally Enabled Business Models for Retrofitted Bus Fleets (led by Queens University Belfast).
• Robotic and AI-enabled sensing for timber reuse: testing the feasibility of AI-ready material passports to unlock circular construction automation (led by University College London).

The knowledge exchange placements (up to £5,000) are:

• Bridging local wisdom and scientific Innovation: a citizen science approach to climate resilience in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam (University of Exeter).
• Future Histories: Weaving Data into Digital Storytelling for Circularity (University of Exeter).

To learn more and hear from the funded projects, please join the launch webinar on 20 January at 4pm. Sign up here

The DICE+ Network aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy across sectors and value chains through creating an inclusive, connected community harnessing interdisciplinary collaboration and research to guide industries, policy makers, and communities towards a digitally-enabled sustainable and circular economy.

Professor Fiona Charley, Co-Director of the Exeter Centre for Circular Economy, said: “By funding these feasibility studies and knowledge exchange placements, the DICE+ Network is enabling researchers to test bold ideas, build new collaborations and generate practical insights that can accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and circular economy across sectors.

“This funding reflects our commitment to fostering interdisciplinary research that delivers real-world impact for industry, policy makers and communities.”

Additional flexible funding opportunities will be released on 28 January. Join the launch webinar here to find out more. Find information on the website sign up to the newsletter and follow the network on LinkedIn to keep up to date.