MARE Researcher Rita Maurício Joins New European Centre to reduce the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals
MARE and ARNET researcher Rita Maurício, do MARE e ARNET is part of the founding team of a new European Centre of Excellence to reduce the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals, strengthening the contribution of Portuguese research to a more sustainable pharmaceutical industry.
The Faculty of Science and Technology of NOVA University Lisbon (NOVA FCT), in partnership with Leiden University and the Leiden University Medical Center, will lead the creation of the NOVA Institute for a Sustainable Future (NOVA_i4SF), a strategic investment of around 30 million euros supported by the European Commission and the Portuguese State.
A pioneering centre for more sustainable medicines
The NOVA_i4SF has been created to address a growing challenge: the presence of pharmaceutical residues in water, soils and food, with increasingly evident impacts on ecosystems and public health. Despite political recognition of the problem, an integrated approach that incorporates sustainability from the earliest stages of drug development is still lacking.
The new Centre aims to fill this gap through the principle of “sustainability by design”, integrating environmental criteria from the very first stages of research. This shift will enable the creation of more eco‑friendly molecules, production processes that are less resource‑intensive, and assessment systems capable of anticipating environmental impacts through advanced modelling and artificial intelligence. As Rita Maurício emphasises, “It is not enough for a medicine to be effective: it must be safe for the planet from the very beginning.”
The distinctive contribution of MARE
Rita Maurício’s involvement strengthens the environmental dimension of the new Centre, highlighting the unique role that MARE can play. According to the researcher, “MARE can make a truly distinctive contribution by acting from the very beginning of the process, not only assessing impacts but helping to design safer and more sustainable pharmaceuticals.”
The work carried out at MARE will therefore go beyond studying the fate, transformation and effects of pharmaceuticals in aquatic ecosystems, soils and food webs; it will also intervene at the design stage, ensuring a full life‑cycle perspective. This approach also includes resource valorisation, namely through the “use of active substances derived from waste and by‑products, contributing to a more circular and sustainable logic.” As the researcher summarises, “Real impact is achieved when sustainability starts at the source.”
The Centre’s team also includes Eurico Cabrita, Paula Videira, Ana Rita Duarte, Ana Luísa Fernando and Juliana Monteiro, bringing together expertise ranging from green chemistry to biotechnology, engineering, environmental sciences and innovation management.
A strategic milestone
For Rita Maurício, “This Centre of Excellence represents a strategic milestone for NOVA FCT and strengthens MARE’s role in sustainability research by promoting an integrated approach that brings together environment, economy and society.”
She also highlights that the project “will leave a unique infrastructure in the country, including a new building equipped with state‑of‑the‑art facilities at European level, creating exceptional conditions for high‑quality research and innovation.”
Sustainability by design: a new paradigm
The sustainability by design approach is, in the words of Rita Maurício, “the true backbone of this Centre”, embedding sustainability at the moment medicines are conceived and developed. Environmental research plays a transformative role here, “not only in anticipating ecological risks but also in redefining the processes themselves, including resource recovery and the use of active substances derived from waste and by‑products.”
But this vision goes beyond the environmental dimension: “It also integrates the social component as a fundamental pillar of sustainability, ensuring that solutions are safe, accessible and aligned with society’s needs.” It represents a paradigm shift: “moving from correcting impacts to preventing them at the source, creating truly responsible innovation.”
New opportunities for researchers, students and partners
The NOVA_i4SF opens new opportunities for the entire MARE scientific community. According to Rita Maurício, “This Centre creates a unique opportunity for MARE and its scientific community by promoting interdisciplinary research, advanced training and participation in international networks of excellence.”
For researchers and students, it offers access to new scientific challenges and highly collaborative environments, preparing new generations with systemic thinking, essential for addressing complex sustainability challenges.
The impact also extends to industry and society: “The Centre strengthens links with industry, both national and international, promoting strategic partnerships that are essential for developing innovative and sustainable solutions. At the same time, it brings science closer to policymakers and society, facilitating knowledge transfer and its concrete application.”
As the researcher concludes, “This Centre will be a space where science, industry and society converge around a common goal: contributing to a more sustainable future, because only through strong partnerships will we be able to transform knowledge into solutions for the planet.”
Text: Zara Teixeira