Bioanalytical tools hold great promise in being introduced and integrated in current water monitoring strategies which mainly utilize chemical analytics at present. The latter focuses mainly on compound identification irrespective of the biological effect. Bioassays are suitable to assess hazards even of complex mixtures of pollutants with limited possibilities of chemical identification and are therefore expected to be highly complementary to modern chemical analytical methods. Smart combinations of chemical- and biological analytics therefore can lead to reduced uncertainty in safety assessments at lower costs. This document is aimed at the selection of a minimal panel of in vitro bioassays for cost effective comprehensive toxicity screening for the evaluation of drinking water quality. After determination of selection criteria for such assays and the most relevant toxicological effects of concern, the appropriate bioassay panel is identified to detect human health effects of emerging (micro)pollutants. The project has started with identifying the most relevant toxicological endpoints or modes of action that will be used as a starting point for the effect-based assessment of water quality, in particular for human health. A set of selection criteria has been defined to assess the effect-based assays whether they are suitable to detect activity towards the selected endpoints. Using the selection criteria we established a state-of-the art bioassay panel for comprehensive screening of the water cycle and including drinking water safety assessment.