Kozminski University has become a co-organizer of a student competition for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students, held as part of the international event Circular Week 2025. The initiative, organized in partnership with the Institute for Innovation and Responsible Development (INNOWO), aims to promote innovative ideas supporting the concept of the circular economy. The grand finale of the competition, titled “The Circular Shift: Business Reinvented”, will take place on November 4th at Kozminski University in Warsaw.
Circular Week – a common space for business, academia, and students
Circular Week is one of the largest events in Central and Eastern Europe dedicated to the circular economy and sustainable development. Each year it attracts business leaders, representatives of public administration, NGOs, and academia. Thanks to the collaboration between Kozminski University and INNOWO, this year’s edition will feature a special student competition – a platform for creative, bold, and responsible ideas from the next generation of leaders.
A competition for young innovators
The aim of the competition is for students to design a circular transformation strategy for a selected corporation. Participants will be tasked with developing proposals for innovative changes in a product, service, value chain, or business model that can significantly contribute to closing economic loops in the operations of global companies.
The competition consists of five stages: 1. Registration – students, individually or in teams, register their participation. 2. Educational stage – participants take part in an online lecture on the circular economy and business models. 3. Preparation of presentations – teams prepare their projects in line with the competition guidelines. 4. Selection of finalists – the jury selects the five best teams. 5. Final (November 4, 2025) – presentations of the finalists before an international jury.
Winners will receive cash prizes: First place – 5000 PLN, Second place – 3000 PLN, Third place – 2000 PLN. In addition, the winning project will be showcased on the main stage of the European Sustainability Congress (November 5, 2025) and at the prestigious European Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference 2026.
“Being engaged in the organization of the student competition during Circular Week is a great opportunity for Kozminski University to inspire students to develop solutions addressing global environmental and social challenges. We want young people to have a space to present their ideas and to cultivate innovative thinking,” emphasizes Professor Grzegorz Mazurek, Rector of Kozminski University.
Details regarding the rules and registration for the competition are available at: https://www.circularweek.com/.
