World Field Epidemiology Day 2026: EU4Health grants and contracts supporting wastewater surveillance in Africa, Asia and Europe

On the occasion of World Field Epidemiology Day, we focus on relevant initiatives managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA).    

HaDEA has signed two grants under the 2025 EU4Health work programme to expand wastewater surveillance in Africa and Asia: 

• The "Waste to Wisdom" initiative, also known as WASTEWISE, is introducing wastewater-based molecular and genomic surveillance in African megacities Addis Ababa, Kinshasa and Nairobi, reaching populations of more than 40 million people. Led by the Africa CDC and ASLM, the project focuses on public health threats, including antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases, such as mpox and other priority pathogens. It will establish a continental coordination mechanism for WBS, testing how wastewater monitoring can support early warning and broader surveillance under a One Health approach* and laying the foundation for multi-pathogen surveillance across Africa.  
• ADWANCE-Asia is working to strengthen both wastewater surveillance in Asia as an early-detection strategy for novel and endemic pathogens and public health preparedness and response, with a specific focus on mpox. Its activities include:  
  • Developing and validating multi-pathogen wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) assays, including mpox assays, for use in resource-limited settings;   
  • Strengthening technical and innovation capacity through WES workshops organised by the Asia PGI Academy in collaboration with the European Water Academy;
  • Developing and piloting the PathGen platform; 
  • Generating cross-country evidence, developing a practical toolkit for applying WES data to public health responses and preparing costed national strategic plans to institutionalise WES in at least three countries. 

The project will work in coordination and synergy with other EU-funded initiatives concerning mpox, wastewater surveillance and genomic sequencing, including the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative and the EU4Health action supporting strategies, capacity and data for global wastewater and environmental surveillance. 

HaDEA is also helping to build an EU wastewater sentinel system. The system, developed by the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and Joint Research Centre (JRC), is designed to include at least 20 super-sites in the EU/EEA, and potentially other locations worldwide, contributing to the wider GLOWACON global wastewater surveillance initiative. At these super-sites, wastewater from transportation hubs, such as airports, train stations or ports, is compared with municipal wastewater to provide epidemiological insight into the presence and spread of pathogens and other health-relevant indicators. 

Following the launch of the EU4Health procurement procedure in 2024, three framework contracts were signed by HaDEA in 2025. Since then, five specific contracts have already been implementing concrete surveillance activities, e.g. the provision and transport of sampling materials and equipment and laboratory analysis of wastewater samples. 

Relevant links 

One Health 

Wastewater surveillance: how does it work and why do we need it 

EU Wastewater Observatory for Public Health

Launching GLOWACON: A global initiative for wastewater surveillance for public health 

Background   

EU4Health is the fourth and largest of the EU health programmes. The EU4Health programme goes beyond an ambitious response to the COVID-19 crisis to address the resilience of European healthcare systems. The programme provides funding to national authorities, health organisations and other bodies through grants and public procurement, contributing to a healthier Europe.   

HaDEA manages the vast majority of the total EU4Health budget and implements the programme by managing calls for proposals and tenders from 2021 to 2027. 

^{* The 'One Health' approach is a multi-level, multi-sectoral and transdisciplinary approach to health which recognises the interconnection between people, animals, plants and the environment.}