After four months of online coordination, the NEUTRAL4GS consortium met in person for the first time at a three-day workshop in Roskilde, Denmark (April 14–16, 2025). Each day focused on a different theme – water quality, stakeholder engagement, and water treatment technologies – structuring the consortium’s shift from planning to practical collaboration. For many partners, it was the first opportunity to connect face-to-face, bringing a renewed sense of direction. It felt like a celebration.
This first gathering launched several key activities that will shape the work ahead. Among them was a joint effort to map water quality regulations across partner countries, laying the groundwork for a shared understanding of what “clean water” means in different contexts. This session was led by the postdoc Alba Martinez (AU) and included a keynote by Prof. Diego Paredes (UTP). At the same time, participants began cataloguing the consortium’s technological expertise – ranging from membrane technology or photocatalysis to nature-based solutions,. This inventory will help align solutions to the challenges being identified in NEUTRAL4GS case studies. The dynamic for mapping the technologies was led by the postdoc Amir Gholipour Doan Nainggolan and included a keynote by Prof. Tomáš Lederer (TUL).
Stakeholder engagement was another core theme. A session led by Senior Researcher Doan Nainggolan (AU) and counting with the keynote by the Expert Elena Petsani (ICLEI Europe) shared a method for identifying and prioritizing stakeholders, with a focus on inclusivity and long-term collaboration. This approach was tested through case examples, including the hospital wastewater case from Thailand, where participants mapped potential stakeholders and discussed strategies for building inclusive, locally embedded Communities of Practice. Partners were also provided with mapping templates and engagement guidelines to apply in their own case studies. These efforts are central to NEUTRAL4GS’s aim of co-developing water solutions that reflect both technical insight and local realities.
The final day included a visit to a decentralized wastewater treatment facility using a Rhizosph’air system, serving 125 people in the north of Zealand, Denmark. The tour offered a hands-on example of how nature-based and technical systems can work together – a reminder of the project’s balance between innovation and practicality.
The Roskilde workshop marked a quiet turning point for NEUTRAL4GS. What began as remote coordination is now a hands-on collaboration, moving steadily from planning to practical work on the ground.
The project started on 1 January 2025 and has a duration of 48 months. It was submitted to the call HORIZON-MSCA-2023-SE-01; Type of Action: HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-SE. The EU contribution is EUR 740,600.00 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe under grant agreement No 101182652.
