From July 2 to 5, 2024, the Department of Sanitary Engineering at TU Delft’s Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences hosted the first INCLUE Network Wide Event. A training week, bringing together doctoral candidates, supervisors, and partners from across the Horizon Europe MSCA DN INCLUE project. The event offered four full days of technical sessions, professional development, lab visits, and site tours—all designed to foster collaboration and deepen understanding in wastewater and sludge treatment.
The week began with technical sessions focused on sludge characterisation methodologies, high-temperature treatment technologies, and the role of biochar in waste management, followed by engaging lab tours both at TU Delft’s WaterLab and the Faecal Sludge Lab at IHE Delft. Participants also enjoyed a guided tour of the famous historical city centre to close the day in the Dutch city.
Day two emphasised professional growth, including interactive workshops on communication styles, effective planning, research integrity, and open science, with sessions led by experts from TU Delft and KU Leuven. These sessions provided valuable tools for early-stage researchers navigating interdisciplinary collaboration and data stewardship.
The third day was dedicated to progress presentations by the doctoral candidates, giving each the opportunity to present themselves and their plans, share updates, and receive feedback on their research. The day concluded with brainstorming and mind-mapping sessions, strengthening the group’s research cohesion.
The final day featured field visits to two pilot-scale installations: the Themista thermal hydrolysis unit at AWZI Kralingseveer, and the Torwash installation at RWZI Land van Cuijk. These visits offered hands-on insights into innovative technologies in resource recovery and sludge treatment.
Throughout the week, the NWE-1 event served as a valuable platform for scientific exchange and team building, reinforcing INCLUE’s mission to advance integrated solutions for safe and sustainable sludge reuse in Europe.