UIC Barcelona, the MútuaTerrassa Teaching and Research Foundation and Roca, a company specialised in the design and production of bathroom products, recently signed a cooperation agreement to develop a project focused on designing sinks and drains that reduce antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospital wards and help lower the risk of infection.

The research project is part of the 2023 Call for R&D+I in Health Projects, organised by the Carlos III Institute, and will be led by Dr. Esther Calbo, dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at UIC Barcelona and head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the MútuaTerrassa University Hospital (HUMT), in partnership with the various Innovation and Product Development teams at the Roca Group and Víctor Echarri, Professor at the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture.

According to the heads of the project, “pooling the knowledge and experience of these three organisations will enable us to develop innovative solutions that translate into the design of specific toilets for hospital wards which reduce the presence and spread of
bacteria. Doing so will prompt clinical guidelines for infection control to be modified and updated, benefiting patients’ overall health.”

This partnership is reflected in the three organisations’ commitment to research, innovation and knowledge transfer in the field of medical and social care, contributing to the improved health of hospitalised patients.