From April to June 2025, the DARROW Project participated in a cross-sectoral webinar series organised by the REACT Cluster. The five-part series brought together eight EU-funded projects to explore how AI, data, and robotics can transform the European industry: by improving sustainability, enhancing circularity, and increasing strategic autonomy.
About the REACT cluster
The REACT Cluster (Resource Efficiency and Automation for Circular Transformation) brings together eight Horizon Europe projects working at the intersection of digital technologies and circular innovation. These projects (DARROW, ALCHIMIA, CLARUS, GRINNER, RECLAIM, Wood2Wood, TUBERS, and iBot4CRMs) demonstrate how AI, robotics, and automation can contribute to reducing waste, improving material traceability, and strengthening strategic autonomy across key sectors in the European Union.
A shared vision for Industry 5.0
How can Europe reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 while ensuring a competitive and resilient economy? The REACT Cluster champions the Industry 5.0 vision by placing sustainability, digitalisation, and social responsibility at the core of industrial transformation. The webinar series provided a platform for knowledge exchange, showcasing how emerging technologies can deliver concrete benefits in sectors such as wastewater treatment, metallurgy, food production, and wood reuse.
Webinar 1: Green skills for a circular economy
The opening session focused on the workforce of the future. Speakers from DARROW, ALCHIMIA, and Wood2Wood discussed the skills and training needed to navigate the transition towards a green and digital economy.
Beñat Elduayen-Echave (Ceit) highlighted how AI tools in wastewater treatment not only improve operational efficiency but also reshape operators’ roles, requiring new competencies in digital monitoring and decision support.
A shared theme emerged during the webinar: the successful implementation of green technologies hinges on talent development and long-term workforce planning.
Watch the webinar recording below.
Webinar 2: Measuring sustainability performance
The second webinar addressed the challenge of assessing environmental and circular performance across diverse industries. Insights from CLARUS, RECLAIM, ALCHIMIA, and GRINNER presented their work on key performance indicators (KPIs), life cycle assessments, and digital tools for robust sustainability tracking. The session emphasised that accurate data, interoperability, and clear metrics are critical to align industrial innovation with the goals of the European Green Deal.
Watch the webinar recording below.
Webinar 3: Decision-making with AI and robotics
Jointly organised by RECLAIM and DARROW, this session explored the integration of data-driven systems in industrial operations.
Cesar Arenas Prado (Ceit) presented DARROW’s AI-driven approach to optimising wastewater treatment with the goal of reducing energy use, emissions, and chemical consumption. The key takeaway from his presentation: AI is not replacing operators but supporting them in making faster, more sustainable decisions.
Watch the webinar recording below.
Webinar 4: Synthetic data for industrial AI
The fourth webinar, hosted by GRINNER, investigated how synthetic data generation can overcome data scarcity in industrial AI development.
Luis Vitores Valcárcel García (Ceit) showcased DARROW’s work on calibrated mechanistic models that generate realistic datasets in the absence of large historical records.
Alongside partners from RECLAIM, iBot4CRMs, ALCHIMIA, and TUBERS, the session demonstrated how simulation and data augmentation can accelerate the development of AI models for the circular economy.
Webinar 5: AI and robotics for critical infrastructure
The final webinar, led by TUBERS, examined the role of digital technologies in critical European infrastructure.
Luis V. Valcárcel (Ceit) returned to present DARROW’s AI solution for wastewater treatment plants.
Presentations reinforced the need for ethical AI, explainability, and cybersecurity — particularly in regulated sectors with high public impact.
Watch the webinar recording below.
Looking ahead
The REACT Cluster webinar series underscored the transformative potential of AI, robotics, and data systems to advance Europe’s circular economy and sustainability goals. For DARROW, it was an opportunity to share our progress, learn from peers, , and highlight how smarter water treatment can support the green transition.