Catalan university specializing in nutrient recovery from waste streams, bio-based fertilizer development, and life cycle assessment for circular bioeconomy.
UVIC-UCC (University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia) specializes in environmental engineering and circular economy research, with deep expertise in recovering valuable resources — nutrients, bioplastics, cellulose — from wastewater, manure, and organic waste streams. They design and pilot bio-based fertilizer production systems, run life cycle assessments (LCA) for biorefinery and waste valorization processes, and contribute to freshwater ecosystem management and nature-based climate solutions. Their applied research bridges laboratory science with on-farm and industrial-scale pilots, making them a practical partner for turning waste into marketable products.
Core expertise demonstrated across FERTIMANURE (coordinated, largest budget), REFLOW, SEA2LAND, SMART-Plant, and VIVALDI — covering manure, dairy waste, fishery waste, and CO2-derived organic acids as fertilizer inputs.
Recurring LCA keyword across SMART-Plant, REFLOW, VEHICLE, and related projects, indicating they provide environmental impact evaluation as a consistent service within consortia.
SMART-Plant focused on revamping wastewater treatment plants, INTCATCH on catchment monitoring tools, and AccelWater on water circularity in food/beverage industry.
VEHICLE (hemicellulose sugars from lignocellulosic biomass), CIRCULAR BIOCARBON (urban organic waste biorefinery), VIOBOND (lignin-based resins), and GRETE (wood-to-textile) all involve converting biomass into higher-value products.
PONDERFUL (coordinated, pond ecosystems for climate resilience) and RECETAS (nature-based social prescribing) show growing capacity in ecosystem services and environmental policy.
C4S (inclusive science education for underrepresented groups) and EuNightCat20 (researchers' night) reflect a newer engagement with RRI and public engagement.
In their early H2020 period (2016–2019), UVIC-UCC focused heavily on technical resource recovery — bioplastics, phosphorus, and cellulose from wastewater — paired with LCA methodology and some digital governance work (CO3 project with blockchain and e-participation). From 2020 onward, their portfolio shifted toward two distinct directions: scaling up nutrient recovery into real bio-based fertilizer production (FERTIMANURE, SEA2LAND) and expanding into ecosystem-level environmental research including freshwater ecosystems, nature-based solutions, and climate adaptation (PONDERFUL, RECETAS). A parallel thread of responsible research innovation (RRI) and inclusive science education emerged in the later period, broadening their profile beyond purely technical work.
UVIC-UCC is moving from lab-scale material recovery toward full-cycle circular agriculture — combining nutrient recovery, on-farm piloting, and ecosystem management — making them increasingly relevant for agri-food sustainability consortia.
UVIC-UCC operates primarily as an active partner (15 of 18 projects), but has demonstrated coordination capability in three projects including their largest-funded effort (FERTIMANURE, EUR 1.1M). With 241 unique consortium partners across 34 countries, they are a well-connected hub rather than a loyal-partner type — they build new relationships project by project. Their typical consortium role appears to be providing LCA expertise and environmental assessment within larger Innovation Action and Research & Innovation Action consortia.
UVIC-UCC has collaborated with 241 distinct partners across 34 countries, giving them one of the broader networks for a mid-sized Spanish university. Their geographic reach spans all of Europe with no obvious single-country bias, reflecting the diverse consortium compositions of their environmental and agri-food projects.
UVIC-UCC occupies a distinctive niche at the intersection of waste-to-resource engineering and environmental life cycle assessment — they don't just develop recovery technologies, they quantify their environmental impact. For consortium builders, this dual capability means one partner can handle both the technical recovery process and the sustainability validation, which is increasingly required in circular economy proposals. Their coordination of FERTIMANURE and PONDERFUL also shows they can lead projects that bridge industrial waste processing with agricultural and ecological outcomes — an unusual combination for a university of their size.
