Uni Wuppertal

Bergische Universität Wuppertal (BUW) is a public, mid-sized research university in Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr region, educating ≈21 000 students in eight faculties plus a cross-cutting School of Education. Its portfolio spans engineering, natural sciences, business & economics, design, architecture and a unique safety-science program—an academic breadth that fosters the multidisciplinary thinking essential for circular-economy innovation.

At the heart of BUW’s circular-economy agenda is the Data Competence Center for Circular Economy Data (DACE): a €2.9 million BMBF-funded project (2023-26) that is building a national data space, academy and certificate programme to equip researchers and practitioners with the skills to capture, share and exploit high-quality CE data.

The university also maintains a strategic partnership with the internationally renowned Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, whose Circular Economy Division develops policy, governance and digitalisation solutions for closed-loop value chains—giving BUW researchers instant access to leading-edge systems analysis and policy expertise.

Knowledge transfer happens in real-world test beds such as the Living Lab NRW Campus and the annual “Circular Insights Days,” where students, industry and public-sector actors co-create business models and regenerative building concepts in repurposed industrial spaces. These formats, run in cooperation with Neue Effizienz gGmbH and regional SMEs, ensure rapid diffusion of research outcomes into practice and help companies pilot circular solutions.

Why partner with BUW?

• Multidisciplinary expertise in material-flow analysis, life-cycle engineering, AI-based sorting, digital product passports and circular business-model design.

• Robust infrastructure: high-performance computing clusters, maker-spaces, prototyping workshops and three campuses within one hour of Düsseldorf airport.

• Proven funding success & entrepreneurship culture: BUW consistently ranks among Germany’s top start-up universities, converting research into market-ready solutions.

• Dense regional network: strong ties to Mittelstand manufacturers, city authorities and EU Horizon Europe consortia create fertile ground for joint demonstrators and pilots.

Whether you aim to advance circular construction, develop data-driven CE metrics or scale industrial symbioses, BUW offers the scientific depth, cross-sector connections and collaborative spirit to turn ambitious circular-economy projects into tangible impact.