SCORE Network

What we do: Promote the development and application of wastewater-based epidemiology as a tool to improve human health and sustainability. Research and development Development of new methods and technologies for the analysis and interpretation of wastewater data. SCORE members are involved in numerous national and international research projects. Integration and collaboration Working with other scientific fields, such as epidemiology and environmental science, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the relationships between wastewater indicators and human and environmental health. Communication and outreach Dissemination of research findings and best practices through workshops, conferences, and other outreach activities to expand the community of practitioners and encourage widespread adoption of wastewater-based epidemiology. Promoting best practice Through the research that our members carry out, their expertise and the year-long experience with proficiency testing, we formulate guidelines and best practices that organisations involved in wastewater-based epidemiology can follow to ensure that correct and accurate data can be obtained from wastewater analysis. Laboratory proficiency testing To guarantee that only high-quality data is used and published, SCORE organises a yearly inter-laboratory exercise in which any interested laboratory can participate for free. Yearly monitoring campaigns SCORE has been coordinating a yearly monitoring campaign to assess illicit drug use through wastewater analysis since 2011. Once a year, SCORE members collect wastewater samples from cities across the world and analyse these to determine amounts of illicit drug markers. Data is then published and provides an overview of illicit drug use across numerous cities in the world. Part of this data is published by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) in Lisbon.