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Industrial Symbiosis COST Action Meeting held at the University of Malta
As part of its ongoing activities, the COST Action ‘Cooperation, Development and Cross-Border Transfer of Industrial Symbiosis among Industry and Stakeholders’ (LIAISE - CA22110) held a Working Group meeting at the Valletta Campus of the University of Malta on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September 2026.
The two-day meeting brought together academics, industrial stakeholders and other relevant parties to exchange knowledge, review ongoing activities and strengthen collaboration on Industrial Symbiosis (IS). The meeting was hosted by Prof. Ing. Paul Refalo and Dr Ing. Massimo Borg from the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering.
LIAISE, a COST Action running from 2023 to 2027, aims to strengthen the development and adoption of IS practices. IS supports the transition towards a Circular Economy by enabling waste resources (such as materials, energy and water) from one industrial process to become valuable inputs for another.
This can improve resource efficiency and environmental performance while creating economic opportunities for participating organisations. Despite its potential, the implementation of IS is often hindered by environmental, economic, technical and regulatory barriers. LIAISE brings together stakeholders from different sectors and disciplines to address these challenges through knowledge exchange, collaboration and the development of practical approaches.
The Action is organised in four Working Groups:
- WG1: Industrial Symbiosis Technical Synergies, focusing on technical opportunities and resource exchanges;
- WG2: Industrial Symbiosis Business Model, addressing the economic and business aspects of implementation;
- WG3: Enhancing Awareness and Acceptance of Industrial Symbiosis, focusing on stakeholder engagement and factors influencing adoption;
- WG4: Dissemination and Exploitation, supporting the communication and uptake of knowledge and results generated by the Action.
During the meeting in Malta, participants reviewed progress across the four Working Groups. Discussions included the development of training frameworks and KPI dashboards, data collection protocols and roadmaps for matching underutilised resources, policy and governance mapping and communication strategies. Participants also discussed circular business model guidelines, joint scientific publications addressing KPIs and industrial resilience, exploitation strategies and preparations for the Action’s final conference.
The meeting also provided opportunities for participants to explore research and collaboration activities. A visit to the Engineering Research & Innovation Laboratories (ERIL) at the Faculty of Engineering, highlighted potential areas for collaboration in industrial symbiosis, including sustainable manufacturing, polymer engineering and digitisation.
This meeting strengthened links between research, industry and other stakeholders, while providing a platform for continued collaboration towards more resource-efficient, resilient and sustainable industrial systems.
