Research project Access Hubs

Access Hubs

The project at a glance

  • Start date:
    01 Jan 2026
  • Duration in months:
    42
  • Funding:
    Interreg North-West Europe programme
  • Principal Investigator(s):
    Christian SCHULZ

About

ACCESS Hubs is a European project, co-funded by the Interreg North-West Europe programme. It aims to expand and improve rental and sharing services across Europe. The project supports cities, social enterprises, and small businesses to develop access-based services, and makes it easier for people to find them through new digital platforms that aggregate all local rental and sharing options in one place. While many European cities have advanced circular economy strategies, most efforts still focus on end-of-life solutions, such as recycling discarded goods. Meanwhile, citizens continue to purchase large volumes of goods that are rarely used. For instance, the average drill is only used for 10 minutes in its lifetime. ACCESS Hubs tackles this issue by helping public authorities and local economic operators to build local “access ecosystems” that increase the use of existing goods, reduce waste, and make access services more convenient and attractive for citizens. ACCESS Hubs brings together 12 organisations, including public authorities, social enterprises, universities, and circular economy experts from 6 countries across North-West Europe.

Access Hubs

Organisation and Partners

  • Department of Geography and Spatial Planning
  • Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE)
  • Kringwinkel Antwerpen, Belgium (Coordinator)
  • City of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Economic Development Agency Dortmund, Germany
  • City of Ghent, Belgium
  • The Municipality of The Hague, The Netherlands
  • CoA of Valenciennes Metropolis, France
  • CoA Béthune-Bruay Artois Lys Romane, France
  • IESEG School of Management, France
  • We Right Click, France
  • Rediscovery Centre, Ireland
  • Made, Belgium

Project team

  • Christian SCHULZ, PI
  • Nicklas RIEKOETTER, Project member
  • Athina MOROGLOU, Project member

Share this