THERESA PCP – Pre-Comercial Procurement of innovative and sustainable solutions to Treat HEalthcaRE System wAstewater

The THERESA PCP project addresses the urgent need to develop and implement innovative, environmentally sustainable solutions for the treatment of hospital wastewater (HWW). HWW contains hazardous contaminants such as pharmaceuticals (e.g. antibiotics, cytostatic drugs, X-ray contrast agents), pathogens, and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARG). Current municipal wastewater treatment plants are unable to effectively eliminate these pollutants, leading to their accumulation in natural water bodies and posing major risks to public health, ecosystems, and drinking water safety.

The project’s core objective is to conduct a joint Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) action to foster the development, testing and verification of advanced HWW treatment technologies in real hospital environments across Europe. The main targets include:

• achieving 50–90% reduction of pharmaceuticals, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and ARG in hospital effluents,
• bringing at least two integrated and market-ready solutions to Phase 3 of the PCP,
• piloting HWW treatment technologies in four European hospitals,
• verification of performance of innovative technologies through Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) scheme,
• creating a sustainable network of procurers and technology providers to accelerate commercialization and widespread adoption.

THERESA PCP directly supports the European Green Deal, circular economy policies, and the EU’s strategy to combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). In the long term, the project will reduce the environmental footprint of the healthcare sector, enhance resilience of health and care systems, and contribute to safer reuse of water resources, ensuring both public health protection and environmental sustainability.

 

Project consortium:

The project brings together 17 partners from 6 European countries (Belgium, Estonia, Greece, Poland, the Netherlands and Spain), all with high expertise in different disciplines within healthcare sector.

The procurer’s group is composed of 7 healthcare organisations (Ziekenhuis aan de stroom, Sihtasutus pohja-eesti regionaalhaigla, Wojewodzki Szpital Specjalistyczny Wolsztynie, Navarrabiomed – Fundación Miguel Servet, Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Maastricht UCM+ and Consorci Hospitalari de Vic) and 2 affiliated entities (Fundación Pública Andaluza Progreso y Salud and Universiteit Maastricht).
The supporting organisation’s group is composed of 6 entities (Science & Innovation link office, Ticbiomed, Science Union for Innovation, Corvers Procurement Services, Instytut Ekologii Terenow Uprzemyslowionych and Health Care Without Harm Europe) and 2 affiliated entities (Corvers Greece Monoprosopi and Corvers Iberia SL).

 

Project implementation period: 2025-2028

Agreement number ID: 101226565

Project coordinatior in IETU: Izabela Ratman-Kłosińska, e-mail:

Project website: https://theresa-pcp.eu/

 

 

Funding sources:

HORYZONT EUROPA
HORIZON-HLTH-2024-CARE-14-01