21/05/2026
WE.Circular Final Event in Graz: Celebrating Women Shaping Circular Futures
On 20 May 2026, the WE.Circular community came together in Graz for a truly inspiring Final Event, hosted by Innovation Region Styria and held at the Styrian Chamber of Commerce under the theme “Women Shaping Circular Futures.”
The event brought together project partners, stakeholders, strategic partners, policy representatives, business support organisations, experts and companies from across the Danube Region to celebrate the achievements of WE.Circular and to look ahead to the next steps for supporting women entrepreneurs in the circular and digital transition.
The day opened with welcoming words from Gabi Lechner, Vice-President of the Styrian Chamber of Commerce, followed by an overview of the WE.Circular journey presented by Claudia Krobath, Innovation Region Styria.
The first session was dedicated to the policy dimension of women-led circular transformation and to the key strategic results developed by the project. Special contributions included Gabi Lechner, who presented a Styrian perspective on the transformative role of women in the economy, and Karmen Maričić, Coordinator of Priority Area 8 “Competitiveness of Enterprises” of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, who shared the wider Danube Region perspective on enterprise competitiveness and cooperation.
The session also featured the presentation of the Transnational Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs’ Circular Transition by Mariya Zlateva, RAPIV, as well as the Policy Learning Centre and the Virtual Toolbox, presented by Diána Tilla Nagy, Hungarian Economic Development Agency. Together, these contributions showed how policy frameworks, strategic cooperation and practical tools can create stronger conditions for women entrepreneurs, competitiveness and regional innovation.
After the lunch break, the afternoon started in a very special and joyful way - with recognition of Dara’s historic Eurovision 2026 victory with Bangaranga. In honour of her incredible sucess, all participants from more than 12 Danube Region countries joined the Bangaranga spirit and even danced it together, bringing energy, smiles and a strong sense of community into the room.
Then we moved to session 2 where the Learning Network and the Training Programme were presented, while also opening the floor to valuable initiatives providing support in improving skills, including Ecosys4you and IMPACTA, which enriched the discussion with further perspectives on youth entrepreneurship, mentoring and support for women business actors.
The final thematic session was dedicated to business support and regional impact. It showed how the WE.Circular Labs and circular business models can help transform ideas into practical action for SMEs and women entrepreneurs. The session also included important contributions from Karin Huber-Heim, Circular Economy Forum Austria, who shared insights on smart policies for competitive and resilient regions, as well as examples from B2GreenHub and the Office of the Regional Government of Styria on circular and digital transition and the role of public administration.
A particularly meaningful moment of the event was the special Award Ceremony, where Certificates of Recognition were presented to stakeholders and strategic partners who have supported WE.Circular along its long implementation journey. Recognition was given to the Coordinators of Priority Area 8 “Competitiveness of Enterprises” of the EUSDR, representatives of public institutions and ministries, business support organisations, experts and companies with a special contribution to the project’s results and impact.
On the second day, partners and stakeholders validated some of the most important results of WE.Circular, including the project’s strategic outputs, the Labs, circular business models, learning and networking tools, and recommendations for future uptake by public authorities, business support organisations and innovation ecosystems.
WE.Circular has been more than a project - it has become a transnational community of people and organisations committed to making the circular economy more inclusive, practical and accessible for women entrepreneurs.
A warm thank you to all partners, speakers, stakeholders, awardees and supporters who contributed to this journey and helped shape the circular futures we celebrated in Graz.
Together, we are Bangaranga. Together, we are shaping circular futures.
