U.K. Creates Agreement to Commit Research Institutions to Sustainability

The United Kingdom’s (U.K.’s) research and funding institutions have collaborated on a major step forward to promote sustainability in science for the region. Launched in spring 2024, the U.K. Concordat for Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice is a commitment to continue delivering cutting-edge research and innovation in the U.K., but in a more environmentally responsible and sustainable way.

Signatories to this voluntary agreement, which include some of the U.K.’s leading research universities and funding institutions, commit to reduce or eliminate environmental impacts and emissions and transition to sustainable practices. Although the concordat was only published in April, more than two dozen signatories have agreed to take action at the institutional level or across their funding portfolio in the following six areas by 2050 (and more are expected to sign onto the agreement):

• Leadership and system change

• Sustainable infrastructure

• Sustainable procurement

• Emissions from business and academic travel

• Collaborations and partnerships

• Environmental impact and reporting data

Importantly, the concordat includes expectations for action by researchers working in the lab, by research institutions such as universities, and by funders of research. In fact, the concordat was signed by several top U.K. funding organizations, including the U.K. Research and Innovation (UKRI, a government arm’s-length body); Cancer Research U.K. (CRUK, a fundraising charity), the National Institute for Healthcare and Research (NIHR), and Wellcome; funders have begun implementing the agreement in the following ways:

• CRUK has a policy starting in 2026 requiring grant applicants to achieve lab certification through either My Green Lab or LEAF (the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) to be eligible for funding, and will also require LEAF certification across its four core-funded institutes. CRUK-funded research institutions will also be required to become signatories of the concordat.

• Wellcome published a research funding policy saying they expect grant recipients to design their research using the most sustainable approach they can access and to tell Wellcome how they have done this in their grant application. Applicants may also include the relevant allowable direct costs to enable sustainable approaches and are encouraged to consider the environmental sustainability of their project-related purchases, even if this means choosing an item with a higher upfront cost. Wellcome is also requiring My Green Lab or LEAF certification for labs and funded organizations to become signatories of the concordat.

• As part of its new Climate Heath and Sustainability Commitments, NIHR plans to issue a £25 million funding call to “help the health and social care system become more sustainable and reach net zero.”

By encouraging research institutions to sign on to the concordat and commit to making their lab buildings and operations more sustainable, these funders are putting environmental sustainability on the agenda in the U.K., and it could have a significant impact on sustainable lab efforts in Europe and beyond. Although this concordat was designed with the U.K. research and innovation sector in mind, those in other countries can sign on as supporters or create similar agreements, using this agreement as a model. Read the full concordat here.