FUNDACION PUBLICA ANDALUZA CENTRODE LAS NUEVAS TECNOLOGIAS DEL AGUA

Their core work

CENTA is a Spanish public research centre in Andalusia specializing in water treatment technologies, particularly decentralized and nature-based solutions for wastewater management. Their work spans the full cycle from treatment to resource recovery — turning wastewater into reusable water, biostimulants, and algae-based products. They bring strong applied research capacity in constructed wetlands, microbial electrochemical systems, and circular economy approaches to water, with a clear focus on making these technologies affordable and deployable in real-world settings.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

CENTA's early H2020 work (2015–2017) centred on technology development — microbial electrochemical wetlands, ICT-enabled monitoring, and nature-based solutions for urban greening. By 2017–2019, their focus shifted decisively toward circular economy and resource recovery (turning wastewater into biostimulants and algae products) and toward the softer dimensions: affordability, policy frameworks, regulations, and social acceptance. This evolution suggests a move from proving that technologies work to ensuring they get adopted at scale.

CENTA is moving from lab-to-pilot water treatment R&D toward market deployment, policy integration, and circular economy valorization — positioning itself as a bridge between technology developers and real-world adoption.

How they like to work

CENTA participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, suggesting they contribute deep technical expertise rather than managing consortia. With 66 unique partners across 22 countries in just 4 projects, they operate within large, internationally diverse consortia (averaging 16+ partners per project). This broad network indicates they are a trusted specialist that different consortium leaders invite for their water technology know-how.

Despite only 4 projects, CENTA has built connections with 66 distinct partners across 22 countries, reflecting participation in large demonstration-scale consortia with wide European and international reach.

What sets them apart

CENTA sits at a rare intersection: they combine constructed wetland expertise with microbial electrochemistry and ICT monitoring — a combination few European water research centres offer. Based in southern Spain, they bring direct experience with water scarcity conditions relevant to Mediterranean and arid-climate applications. Their shift toward policy, social acceptance, and circular economy makes them especially valuable for projects that need to go beyond the lab and demonstrate real-world adoption pathways.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Water2REturn
  Largest single grant (EUR 441,489) and most aligned with CENTA's circular economy trajectory — converting wastewater into biostimulants and algae products.
• iMETland
  Technically distinctive project combining microbial electrochemical systems with constructed wetlands and ICT, representing CENTA's core innovation niche.
• Saraswati 2.0
  Signals CENTA's expansion into policy, affordability, and international cooperation for decentralized water solutions beyond Europe.