All solutions developed under the CARING NATURE project have been recognised as “Excellent Innovations” by the European Commission’s Innovation Radar, marking an important milestone for the project and its partners.
What is the EU Innovation Radar?
The Innovation Radar is a European Commission initiative designed to identify high-potential innovations and innovators emerging from EU-funded research and innovation projects. By highlighting promising results and their market readiness, the platform supports the visibility of EU-funded innovations and contributes to accelerating their uptake. Its broader objective is to foster a dynamic European innovation ecosystem connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, incubators and public authorities, ultimately helping innovative solutions reach the market more effectively.
The recognition of CARING NATURE’s portfolio of solutions confirms the project’s strong contribution to European research and innovation in the field of sustainable healthcare. Developed by a multidisciplinary consortium across Europe, these solutions address the environmental footprint of healthcare systems through both technological and organisational innovation.
14 CARING NATURE “Excellent Innovations” to lower the environmental impact of healthcare
The project tackles key sources of carbon emissions and environmental impact in healthcare, including medical? food waste and wastewater management, energy performance, renovation and sustainable design of healthcare buildings, and emissions linked to patient mobility. In parallel, CARING NATURE develops enabling tools and governance frameworks to support systemic change, such as knowledge-sharing and decision-support systems, sustainability reporting models, lean-six sigma methodologies, and participatory staff engagement approaches.
Learn more about the CARING NATURE’s solutions and their impact on the sustainability of the healthcare sector:
Governance
- Decision Support System based on Life Cycle Assessment for evaluating interventions in the healthcare provider organizations from a multidimensional sustainability perspective
- KSS. Action-oriented Knowledge Sharing System for Healthcare Green Transition
- Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology, customized for reducing the environmental impact of healthcare processes
- Software and evaluation model for healthcare providers according to ESG results
- Sustainability Reporting model and software for healthcare providers, compliant with the EU Corporate sustainability reporting directive (CSRD)
Staff Engagement
Buildings
- Decision Support System powered by AI and cloud technologies for energy management in healthcare buildings
- Multicriteria decision support dashboard for green and circular Healthcare Buildings construction and renovation
Waste
- Hospital guidelines for waste reduction in operating theatres
- Modular low-temperature pyrolysis plant for on-site treatment of infectious medical waste in hospitals, enabling safe disposal, energy recovery and circular economy benefits
- On-site hospital food-waste drying process for lower carbon emission transport and higher Anaerobic Digestion (AD) efficiency
- Reusing spent ZVI from H₂ generation for Fenton-like treatment of hospital wastewater
- Zero-valent iron and heat pre-treatment for accelerated food-waste digestion and biomethane upgrading
Patient travel
A significant R&I contribution towards a healthier planet and a more sustainable future
By combining technical solutions with capacity-building and strategic tools, CARING NATURE contributes to strengthening the resilience and sustainability of healthcare systems across Europe. The project’s outcomes support progress towards seven United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, notably those related to good health and well-being, responsible consumption and production, climate action, clean energy, industry and innovation, clean water and sustainable cities.
With the support of a strong network of innovators, healthcare providers, research institutions and its Reference Stakeholder Group composed of high-level European experts, CARING NATURE continues to drive impactful change. The recognition by the Innovation Radar further validates the project’s ambition to accelerate the green transition of the healthcare sector and to deliver tangible environmental and societal benefits.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation action programme under the grant agreement n°101137340.