Caring Nature

Duration: 2024-2027 
Funder/donor: European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme 
 

The healthcare sector may be dedicated to saving lives, but it also plays a significant role in contributing to climate change, accounting for an estimated 4 to 5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Despite this impact, environmental sustainability often remains a blind spot in healthcare systems, where patient care understandably takes top priority. As a result, emissions from the sector are projected to rise sharply by 2050 unless action is taken. 

Caring Nature is a 3-year research and innovation project funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe programme. Its mission is clear: to design and test 10 concrete, innovative solutions that reduce the environmental footprint of healthcare — all while maintaining the highest standards of safety for both patients and healthcare professionals. 

Bringing together 19 partners across 11 European countries, the project unites healthcare providers, universities, SMEs, and industry leaders. Together, they are working to reshape how healthcare systems operate, ensuring that care for people goes hand in hand with care for the planet. 

Consortium partners

19 partners across 11 countries in the European Union. Visit the project site for a full list.

Research approach 

Caring Nature is an adoption-oriented research and innovation project. The project is built on a 3-phase methodology: 

• Gather prospective adopters’ needs and requirements
• Develop and test the solutions with one end user (health and care providers)
• Validate the solutions with at least two other end-user (health and care providers) contexts 

During its 3-year journey, the CARING NATURE project will develop, test and validate 10 innovative solutions through 33 use cases in 5 European healthcare organisations located in Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain.