Sustainable research practice

Our globally influential research and innovation community produces extraordinary insights and discoveries that address the world’s most pressing challenges. Research and innovation activities can also require energy-intensive equipment and travelling, which contributes significantly to the University’s carbon emissions and consumption of resources.

Sustainable Research Practice at the University of Edinburgh

The University is working to embed sustainability across all of its activities, including research practice. This involves prioritising sustainable business travel and ensuring labs are furnished with the most resource-efficient equipment.  

Doing research in a sustainable manner has myriad benefits for the University and all of its researchers. These include: 

  • efficiencies in resource use, saving time and money 
  • more competitive standing for research grants 
  • opportunities for training and career development  
  • opportunities for partnership and collaboration
Research graphic including a magnifying glass, note paper and ruler

Essential resources for researchers

The Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, in collaboration with the Edinburgh Research Office, will regularly be producing guidance, training and resources to support staff and academics with their grant applications and to understand sustainability in research practice. 

Guidance on UK funder policies on sustainable research (links out to the ERO website) 

Sustainable Research SharePoint (opens SharePoint in a next tab). 

The Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice

In April 2024, the University signed the “Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice”.

The aim of the Concordat is to ensure research and innovation continues to play a critical part in understanding how our planet is changing, while helping the sector to act responsibly to protect and promote our environment.

By signing this Concordat, signatories:

  • recognise the need to change how we conduct research and innovation as well as promote wider solutions
  • agree to take shared action now and in the future to reduce and eliminate our own negative environmental impacts and emissions and achieve the transition to sustainable practices.

UK Concordat on Environmental Sustainability [external]

University at the forefront of sustainable research initiative

Sustainable research requires collective action – and the Concordat is an important next step [external]

 ES Concordat Signatory - The University of Edinburgh - 25 April 2024 (30.59 KB PDF)

Find out about the University's first year of progress as a signatory to the Concordat.

Response

Convened by Professor Liz Baggs, at the request of the Research Strategy Group (RSG) and the Vice-Principal for Research, the Sustainable Research Working Group was set up to assess policy and procedure changes that may be required in light of the 2024 Wellcome Environmental Sustainability policy and the 2024 UKRI Concordat for Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice.   

Research Strategy Group

Contact us

For help and advice relating to research projects, please consult the Edinburgh Research Office in the first instance.

Edinburgh Research Office

If you have questions about partnerships and commercialisation, please contact Edinburgh Innovations.

Edinburgh Innovations

For more information about the University’s Sustainability Commitments and programmes, please email  SRS.Department@ed.ac.uk.

This article was published on