The NEWater Consortium is entering a key milestone with its upcoming midterm evaluation, a crucial step in assessing the project’s progress toward achieving its ambitious goals of sustainable and safe water reuse.
This evaluation will provide a comprehensive review of the project’s achievements across its multiple work packages, focusing on technological innovation, environmental safety, and stakeholder engagement throughout the Mediterranean region.
Assessing progress and innovation across sectors
Since its launch, NEWater has united leading research and academic institutions — including Sapienza University of Rome (Italy), Università degli Studi della Basilicata (Italy), University of Porto (Portugal), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel), and the Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA, Spain) — to pioneer low-energy, nature-based solutions for safe and circular water reuse.
The midterm evaluation, conducted by an independent panel of experts, will review:
- The scientific progress made within the project’s laboratories and pilot sites,
- The effectiveness of cross-sectoral demonstration activities,
- The integration of risk assessment, modelling, and sustainability evaluation,
- And the impact of NEWater’s outreach, training, and dissemination initiatives.
Through this process, the consortium aims to validate its achievements and identify opportunities to strengthen collaboration and scale up successful approaches to urban, industrial, and agricultural water reuse.
A collaborative vision for safety and circularity
“NEWater represents a shared commitment to rethinking water reuse as a pillar of sustainability,” said Prof. Pietro Zuorro, Project Coordinator from Sapienza University of Rome.
“This midterm evaluation will not only measure our progress but also reaffirm the consortium’s dedication to developing solutions that integrate safety, innovation, and circular economy principles.”
The evaluation will focus on the technical advances achieved across NEWater’s key areas — including wastewater treatment, nutrient recovery, greywater reuse, and effluent desalination — as well as the environmental and socio-economic frameworks that support their long-term implementation.
Looking ahead
The findings from the midterm evaluation will guide the next phase of NEWater’s activities, ensuring that research outcomes continue to align with real-world needs and European sustainability priorities.
Results and recommendations will be made publicly available on the official NEWater website, offering transparency and insight into the project’s contribution to building resilient, circular, and safe water systems for the Mediterranean and beyond.
NEWater – Evaluating progress, driving innovation, and strengthening circular water management for a sustainable future.
