The research group from the IE is coordinated by professor María Feo and Leandro García, Bàrbara Vázquez-Paja and María Soler are also in it. The project “LOOP-Ports - Circular Economy Network of Ports” is coordinated by Valenciaport Foundation and funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) through the EIT Climate-KIC.

The project will provide an innovation ecosystem to enhance the setting up of these kind of initiatives in European ports through a Network of Circular Economy in Ports. The network will mainly focus on the following materials: metals, plastics, cements and bio-materials. Moreover, it will allow an exchange of experiences and good practice, develop policy recommendations, and boost training as well as some business opportunities in both port clusters and other port-related industries.

13 members of 7 European countries (Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands) take part in the project. Valenciaport Foundation (coordinator); EIT Climate-KIC S.L.; Climate-KIC S.r.l.; Climate-KIC GmbH; Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU); NTU International A/S; Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO); Università di Bologna; Universität Hamburg; Universidad Politécnica de Madrid; Universitat de València; Ressò Environnement Ingenièrie (2EI); and Veolia Innove. The project will be carried out during the next two years finishing in November 2020.

EIT Climate-KIC is the largest semi-private organisation of the EU to tackle climate change through innovation and to build a low-carbon economy through entrepreneurship. EIT Climate-KIC is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), an EU organisation. It is focused towards the improvement of life-style in cities, so that the industry produces environmentally-friendly products as well as it optimises the use of the soil and its resources to produce the right foods. It has programmes across Europe to accelerate start-ups in topics of climate acceleration, as well as in training programmes to inspire and prepare the next generation of hyper-carbonic economy. EIT Climate-KIC has headquarters in 28 European countries.

The IEI (International Economy Institute of the Universitat de Valencia) is a centre of research and specialised training created in 1995. Its main goal is to promote a research platform which is open and highly academic within the framework of economy analysis and international relations. L’IEI (Institut d’Economia Internacional de la Universitat de València) is a research and training centre. Currently, the people who are part of it are Professors and researchers in the areas of Economic Analysis, Applied Economy, Financial Economy and Business Administration.

IEI is clearly focused towards public service, which is why it tries to respond to demand for a more applied research around the topic, both in a public and private sphere. Because of this, the activities include projects and works related to institutional and managerial initiatives in local, national and international levels. They have an analytical and methodical perspective, accordingly with the values and objectives of academic excellence that define them.