DURATION: 01.01.2026 to 31.12.2029
BUDGET: 504,437.50 € / 5,468,287.50 €
FUNDING: HORIZON-CL6-2024-ZEROPOLLUTION-02
ABOUT QleanUP
QleanUP is a 4 year Horizon Europe project that develops an integrated approach to monitoring and managing urban water quality. By combining advanced sensing technologies, AI-based tools and risk-based planning, the project supports faster, more reliable, and cost-effective decisions for water utilities and authorities.
THE CHALLENGE
Urban water systems face increasing pressure from climate change, emerging pollutants, ageing infrastructure and growing populations. Traditional monitoring techniques are slow, fragmented and often unable to detect contaminants such as PFAS, microplastics or pathogens before they pose risks to public health and ecosystems. A holistic, real-time and scalable solution is urgently needed.
VISION
QleanUP aims to shift European cities toward proactive, data-driven and resilient water management. By integrating real-time sensing, digital twins and AI forecasting into a modular decision-support platform, the project envisions an urban water cycle that is transparent, monitored continuously, and managed adaptively.
KEY OBJECTIVES
QleanUP develops new sensors for nutrients, heavy metals and pathogens; advanced analytical methods for PFAS and microplastics; and AI-driven soft sensors for predicting hard-to-measure pollutants. These tools feed into digital twins and a FIWARE-based platform that supports early warning, operational optimization and long-term risk-based planning. Demonstrations in five countries and the respective demo cases ensure transferability across diverse conditions.
OUR ROLE IN THE PROJECT
We contribute scientific, technical and analytical expertise across several work packages, including digital tool development, risk-based monitoring strategies, and validation activities in real-world settings. We lead Work Package 5 with focusing on the development of soft sensors leveraging novel ML/DL techniques augmenting water quality sensing and predictive capacity in urban water systems. Our work helps ensure that QleanUP’s technologies are robust, scalable, and aligned with the needs of water utilities and urban stakeholders.
