23 February 2026
NOVA and Sociedade Ponto Verde challenge the academic community to accelerate circular economy solutions
NOVA University Lisbon and Sociedade Ponto Verde (SPV) are launching the second edition of CIRCULAR inNOVA(tion), a programme that puts innovation at the service of concrete environmental challenges and the transformation of the waste management sector.
This year, there are two new and highly topical challenges in this field. One focuses on capsule collection: coffee capsule consumption has grown exponentially in recent years, making it one of the waste streams with the greatest recovery potential, but also a significant challenge in terms of collection and proper routing for treatment. The question is straightforward: how can we create an efficient, accessible and scalable system that significantly increases the collection and recycling of used capsules?
The other challenge concerns the implementation of the Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) model in the HORECA sector (Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés), which plays a key role in the generation of municipal waste. Here, the aim is to think about how to encourage this sector to separate more and better, promoting responsible behaviours aligned with national environmental targets.
Structured into four phases—supporting teams from idea to implementation—CIRCULAR inNOVA(tion) 2.0 begins with the selection of teams.
This is followed by Hackathon & Ideation, an intensive training and co-creation moment, including a design thinking bootcamp and pitching training, in which finalist teams receive €1,000 in financial support.
In the Minimum Viable Product Development (MVP) phase, teams further develop their solutions with dedicated mentoring and specialised workshops, culminating in a Demo Day, where the winning team receives a €5,000 prize. Finally, in the Pilot Phase, the winning team continues development with support from Sociedade Ponto Verde, including the possibility of implementing the pilot and presenting final results.
“NOVA has a responsibility to put its knowledge, talent and capacity for innovation at the service of society’s major challenges. CIRCULAR inNOVA(tion) 2.0 reflects that commitment, creating concrete conditions to turn ideas into solutions with real implementation potential in the circular economy,” says Isabel Rocha, Vice-Rector for Innovation, Value Creation and Global Affairs at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa.
The initiative is open to students, alumni, researchers and faculty, and each team must include at least one member connected to NOVA’s ecosystem.
The applications are open until March 26 and can be submitted here.