Funding programme: Horizon Europe
Call: JU-IHI-2023-04-two-stage
Project coordinator: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Spain
Partners:
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) (Spain) – Coordinator
- Medtronic (US, France, Spain)- Project Lead
- Predictby Research and Consulting S.L. (Spain)
- Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (Italy)
- Universiteit Leiden (Netherlands)
- Politechnika Poznanska (Poland)
- Institute of Biomedical Technology (INBIT) (Greece)
- UDG Alliance (Switzerland)
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Germany)
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico (Italy)
- Universytet Medyczny w Lodzi (Poland)
- Consorcio Mar Parc de Salut de Barcelona (Spain)
- Technovative Solutions Ltd (United Kingdom)
- Tech Hive Labs (THL) (Greece)
- Fundación Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (Spain)
- Samenwerkende Topklinische Opleidingsziekenhuizen (Netherlands)
- World Resources Forum Association (Switzerland)
- OSAI Automation System SPA (Italy)
- Agenzia Regionale per la Salute Ed Il Sociale (Italy)
- European Regional and Local Health Authorities (EUREGHA) (Belgium)
- Naucnoistrazivacki Institut Verlab (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Greek Patients’ Association (Greece)
- Sterimed Holding (France)
- Servicio Madrileño de Salud (Spain)
- Multimed Engineers SRL (Italy)
- Idryma Technologias Kai Ereynas (Greece)
- Happy Mondays Communication S.L. (Spain)
- Pfizer (US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy)
- Novo Nordisk A/S (Denmark)
- Eli Lilly and Company (US)
- Johnson & Johnson (Germany, UK, US)
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals International AG (Switzerland)
- Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH (Germany)
- DuPont (Luxembourg)
- Boehringer Ingelheim (Germany, US)
- International Solid Waste Association (Netherlands)
- Forum des Patients Européens (Belgium)
- Baxter R&D Europe (Belgium)
- Active Ageing Association (Spain)
Role of EUREGHA: Regional stakeholders engagement and communication support
Total budget: Total budget of €18,88 million; €7,74 million is funded by the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101166707. The remaining €11,14 million is contributed by the consortium’s industry partners (€9,10million) as well as the associated countries partners (€2,04 million).
EUREGHA budget: 253 750€
Starting Date: January 2025 Duration: 48 months
About ENKORE
ENKORE will develop a collaborative approach to design an innovative eco-design framework encompassing the entire lifecycle of medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging. This framework aims to reduce the healthcare sector’s ecological footprint by incorporating sustainable practices into design and manufacturing processes while ensuring product safety and efficacy.
Key innovations include:
- Catalogues of Key Enabling Materials (KEM) and Key End-of-Cycle Solutions (KES): Designed to minimise waste and optimise resource use, ensuring devices and packaging are safe and functional.
- Digital Product Passport (DPP): A tool that centralises product information to enhance traceability and can support adequate waste management.
- Environmental and Social Life Cycle Assessments (ELCA/SLCA): To measure environmental and social impacts at every stage of the product lifecycle.
Innovation Applied to Real-World Cases
The project plans to test the eco-design framework through use cases in five regional healthcare systems across Europe. The eco-design framework will be evaluated through demonstrative use cases in five regional healthcare systems across Europe: The initiative aims to implement and assess an eco-design framework through practical examples in five regional healthcare systems across Europe. This framework will undergo evaluation based on demonstrative case studies within these healthcare settings.
- Drug injection devices
This case addresses the environmental impact of devices such as autoinjectors and pre-filled syringes, widely used in outpatient settings. Key activities include evaluating end-of-life options like collection and recycling programmes and developing alternative eco-friendly materials without compromising device safety and efficacy.
- Single-use products for dialysis and intravenous therapies
This case focuses on sustainable options for essential products in critical therapies, including recyclability of existing single-use products and exploration of new design for recycling guidance. Recyclable materials that meet safety, functionality and efficacy demands while balancing economic considerations for large-scale adoption will be evaluated
- Sustainable plastic materials for packaging
This case investigates and validates materials derived from more sustainable plastic feedstocks and designed for recycling while meeting strict requirements for performance for performance, safety, compatibility, sterility, durability, and sterilisation compatibility. The feasibility of integrating these solutions into healthcare workflows will also be assessed.
- Cellulose-based materials for packaging
This case develops cellulose-based packaging materials designed to be compostable or recyclable, reducing reliance on non-renewable resources.
- Hospital waste recycling
This case seeks to implement solutions for scaling up the recycling of medical devices and packaging, including contaminated waste. Key initiatives include improving collection, sorting, and decontamination processes.
Work Packages and Key Activities
ENKORE’s research and implementation strategy is structured into 8 Work Packages (WPs):
- Work Package 1: Meta-assessment & knowledge exchange – Identifying existing best practices and defining project requirements.
- Work Package 2: ENKORE ecoDesign Framework – Developing a structured approach for sustainable and safe-by-design medical devices.
- Work Package 3: ENKORE Suite of Services –Creating tools for circularity assessment, lifecycle analysis, and digital product passports.
- Work Package 4: Reference Use Cases & Validation – Implementing and testing eco-design solutions in real-world healthcare settings.
- Work Package 5: Outreach & Best Practices – Engaging stakeholders, sharing insights, and aligning with standardization bodies.
- Work Package 6: Communication & Sustainability – Ensuring dissemination, exploitation, and long-term adoption of project results.
- Work Package 7: Project Coordination & Management – Overseeing operations, risk management, and compliance with ethical standards.
- Work Package 8: Ethics Requirements – Ensuring all project activities meet ethical, privacy, and data protection regulations.
Our Contribution
EUREGHA’s involvement in the ENKORE project will leverage our extensive network and expertise in regional healthcare collaboration. Our primary roles include supporting stakeholder engagement, policy alignment by supporting the integration of ENKORE’s sustainable healthcare solutions into regional strategies. Knowledge dissemination by facilitating best practice exchange among European healthcare actors and Capacity building through training and awareness campaigns on circular economy principles in healthcare.
