The 8 vouchers, funded by the INNOMED-UP project, were awarded at the end of the second call aimed at SMEs of the Cultural and Creative Industry sector working in the Circular Economy.

2 were dedicated exclusively to subjects who do not have a VAT number: the Recuperiamoci non-profit association was awarded both vouchers, proposing "Vetrina upcycling" and "Poltrone Rifà '' as projects.

The other 6 were equally divided between the 3 categories provided for by the call:

-2 vouchers for innovative products or services, won by the "Industrial Art" project by Accaventiquattro Arte APS and "Innovative consulting service with a Cradle to Cradle approach for the adoption of circular business models" proposed by Moebeus srl;

-2 vouchers for the acquisition of innovative equipment, won by Lorenzo Vacirca in collaboration with Ipercollettivo for the Plasticraft project and Lottozero for the acquisition of machinery for the realization of the Circular Wool Laboratory;

-2 vouchers for the implementation of cross-border tutoring and external consultancy, assigned to Moebeus srl and to Mariplast SPA for the activation of consultancy in the Cultural and Creative Industry sector.

For years, the winners of the tender have been working in the Prato area to reconcile the tradition of textiles with new practices of Circular Economy, within a vision that favors creativity in the adoption of these same practices.

You'll find below the information about the sub-grant winners.

Association Recuperiamoci! Onlus: https://www.facebook.com/RecuperiamociEcoLab/

(Innovation voucher): in the “Bank of waste” of Recuperiamoci many interesting materials are stored for their creative reuse. The use of suitable machines would allow the creation of new coatings, furnishings, accessories and much more. The association's intention is to also provide training, which is why new spaces and new machinery need to be thought of.

(Pilot innovative products): a "widespread city showcase" will be created with the display of objects created by Recuperiamoci in the shops that have expressed their attention to the initiative. A communication plan will then be built to enhance the association's presence in the area.

Accaventiquattro Arte APS: http://www.artext.it/Artext/Accaventiquattro.html

(Pilot innovative products): the project inserts the experimental languages of contemporary art in the process of reuse and industrial and artisanal production waste. The artist is invited to find ways to translate the material into the immaterial. The artistic product created will therefore have a cultural value, but also a commercial one, since the works of art can be marketed.

Moebeus srl: https://www.moebeus.it/

(Mentroship scheme): the goal of the project is to activate specific advice on business plans and marketing plans that help the applicant to: improve business strategy, characterize market positioning, attract new customers and potential investors.

(Pilot innovative products): the goal of this project is to develop an innovative service to be provided in the form of consultancy to SMEs and craft enterprises operating mainly in the textile sector. This service is intended as a strategic guide capable of providing qualitative information on the C2C level of the corporate business and proposing information on good design practices and concrete actions to be introduced within processes to facilitate the transition to the circular model.

Lottozero textile laboratory: https://www.lottozero.org/

(Innovation voucher): through the purchase of specific machinery and equipment for the processing of types of wool not used on the market, a workshop will be created for young artists, designers and artisans with the aim of finding a cost-efficient and commercially desirable use for Italian rustic wool as a new sustainable "ingredient" for circular products.

Mariplast spa: https://www.mariplast.com/

(Mentorship scheme): the proposal aims to develop new design ideas according to the upcycling principle starting from a common product of the textile industry, the spool.

Lorenzo Vacirca-Ipercollettivo: https://www.ipercollettivo.com/

(Innovation voucher)​: through the recycling of a waste typical of the textile industry but also an iconic object of the Prato manufacturing tradition, the spool, an attempt is made to attract the attention of the community to the problem of pollution from plastics and derivatives. A collection program will be organized and used spools will be shredded, with specialized equipment, and then transformed back into usable raw material.​