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From 24–26 May 2026, the Metropolitan City of Bologna hosted the first Advanced Cooperation Mission (ACM) under Community of Practice (CoP) 8: Circular Economy Urban Centres, bringing together representatives from Europe and Asia & Australasia to exchange knowledge and practical experiences on repair culture and circular economy solutions.
Delegations from Bologna, Riga, Gangtok and Seberang Perai participated in a series of technical sessions, workshops, stakeholder dialogues, and site visits aimed at supporting the implementation of circular economy pilot projects.
A key highlight of the visit was participation in the REPPER Festival at DUMBO, where delegates explored innovative approaches to repair culture through textile and bicycle repair workshops, discussions with experts, and exchanges with European stakeholders working on circular economy initiatives.
The programme also included visits to:
- CIOFS, a professional training institution promoting skills development and repair-related activities;
- DAMA Technopole, one of Europe’s leading centres for supercomputing, artificial intelligence and big data;
- Future Food Institute, where participants explored innovation and sustainability in food systems.
Throughout the mission, cities discussed how to adapt Bologna’s repair hub models to their own local contexts.
Stefano Mazzetti, Chief of Staff of the Metropolitan City of Bologna, highlighted the importance of international cooperation through the IURC Programme:
“Thanks to the IURC programme, we are pleased to host your cities today in order to encourage discussion on these strategic topics. Programmes such as this make it possible to create concrete and lasting relationships among local administrations, fostering the development of shared projects.”
The mission concluded with several concrete next steps, including:
- Sharing Bologna’s Repair Economy Hub toolkit with partner cities;
- Organising future webinars and mentoring activities;
- Exploring Horizon Europe and Erasmus funding opportunities;
- Planning of future study visits
The exchange demonstrated the growing importance of repair culture and circular economy strategies in cities worldwide, while reinforcing the value of international cooperation in building more sustainable and resilient urban communities.
