Project

Funding: Supported by Interreg Deutschland-Nederland (European Regional Development Fund - ERDF).
Begin: 15.07.2026
End: 31.12.2026

Participants:
Prof. Dr. Andreas Winter
Dr. Christian Schönberg
M.Sc. Azadeh Jalilian

Objectives & Description

Urban wastewater management is facing growing demands for more efficient, sustainable, and data-driven monitoring, particularly driven by new European Union directives for water monitoring. The Smart Monitoring of Urban Wastewater (SMUt) project brings together partners from Germany and the Netherlands to explore new approaches to wastewater monitoring and strengthen cross-border collaboration in the Ems-Dollart region. By connecting municipalities, water authorities, and research institutions, the project creates a foundation for developing smarter and more efficient solutions for the future of urban wastewater management.

A central focus of the project is to bridge data silos and ensure interoperability across national boundaries, preventing isolated data structures between German and Dutch water management infrastructure. SMUt establishes a digital foundation to streamline data exchange, enable smart IoT-based sensor monitoring, and prepare regional water managers for future regulatory compliance.

Furthermore, the project partners are jointly developing a concept for a subsequent, larger Interreg proposal. This follow-up framework aims to establish data-driven applications not only for wastewater monitoring but also for regional flood and drought management across border areas.

Partners

• Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (Germany)
• NHL Stenden Hogeschool (Netherlands)
• Stadt Oldenburg (Germany)
• Gemeente Emmen (Netherlands)
• Waterschap Vechtstromen (Netherlands)

Schedule

SMUt Project Schedule & Event Timeline

• August 26 (26.08): Workshop 1 (Introductory session: Identifying challenges, goals, and aligning NL/DE partners) ✅ Completed
• October 8 (08.10): Stakeholder Meeting 1 (SM1) ✅ Completed
• November 16 (16.11): Workshop 2 (WS2)
• December 14 (14.12): Stakeholder Meeting 2 (SM2 / Final Synthesis & Wrap-up Event)

Note: For key stakeholders unable to attend scheduled meetings, individual interviews are conducted as supplementary input.

Deliverables

Main Deliverables (Due by December)
By the end of the 6-month micro-project phase, the following main deliverables must be submitted to the funding body:

• Competence & Stakeholder Atlas:
  - A structured directory mapping key regional institutions, water boards, municipalities, academic institutions, and commercial players across Germany and the Netherlands
  - Detailed breakdown of roles, domain expertise, data requirements, and contact details for cross-border cooperation.
• EU Water Monitoring Guidelines Strategy Paper:
  - A technical evaluation determining what, where, and how to monitor urban wastewater systems under EU directives.
  - Defined methodologies for measuring cost-effective proxy parameters (e.g., conductivity) to infer complex wastewater characteristics across critical network outlets and mixed water (rain/sewage) points.
• Follow-up Main Project Proposal:
  - A comprehensive concept note and roadmap (including data space architecture and interoperability models) to secure main Interreg funding for large-scale digital water and urban platform implementation.