North Netherlands leading the way in reducing pharmaceutical residues in water

North Netherlands leading the way in reducing pharmaceutical residues in water is a three-year project in which stakeholders from the water technology, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors collaborate on concrete, practice-oriented innovations to reduce pharmaceutical residues in (waste)water. In this project, SMEs, research and knowledge institutes, healthcare organisations, water authorities and governments join forces to develop sustainable solutions with both societal and economic impact.

The project builds on the successful REACT-EU project and the existing Network Pharmaceutical Residues in Water North Netherlands (MWNN). While the focus previously was mainly on raising awareness, it has now shifted towards innovation, real-life implementation and scaling up.

Network meeting: 12 februari

On 12 February, a networking meeting will be organised as part of this project. During this afternoon, we will bring together stakeholders from healthcare, pharma and water technology to identify new challenges, explore opportunities, and define concrete next steps towards innovation and scaling up.

Why this project?

Pharmaceutical residues in water are a growing issue. Due to an ageing population and an increase in chronic diseases, medication use is expected to rise further in the coming years. This may lead to a higher environmental burden and risks to the quality of our living environment.

With this project, we aim to strengthen the North Netherlands as a frontrunner in tackling pharmaceutical residues in water, with solutions that can also be applied nationally and internationally.

The main objective of the project is to increase the economic earning capacity of the North Netherlands by developing practice-oriented innovations that contribute to reducing pharmaceutical residues in water.

This results in:

• cleaner surface water and groundwater
• reduced environmental impact of pharmaceuticals
• new business cases and market opportunities for North Netherlands SMEs
• strengthening the North Netherlands as a (inter)national leader in this field

Demand-driven approach: from practical challenge to proof of concept

The project follows a demand-driven approach. Concrete practical challenges from problem owners (such as hospitals and water authorities) are matched with innovative solutions from companies and knowledge institutes. This leads to:

• the development of proof of concepts
• preparatory business cases
• acceleration towards implementation and scaling up in practice

Results and impact

The project focuses on measurable results and impact, including:

• development of at least 10 proof of concepts
• at least 30 SMEs actively supported
• an expected €25 million in additional turnover and 75 new jobs within 5 years
• a 10% reduction of the most ecotoxic pharmaceutical residues in surface water
• scalable innovations with national and international application potential

The project is a collaboration between:

TCNN (lead partner), Water Alliance, LIFE Cooperative, UMCG, University of Groningen, Centre of Expertise Water Technology (CEW), hospitals (including UMCG, Martini Hospital, Isala, Frisius MC, WZA) and water authorities (Wetterskip Fryslân, Noorderzijlvest).

Additional information

Project period: 2025 – 2028
Duration: 36 months
Total project budget: approx. €2.36 million
Funding: ERDF funding (SNN), co-funding by the provinces of Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe, and contributions from project partners

Who can I contact?