33 projects awarded grants to cut environmental footprint of labs
The 91AV has announced the first projects funded by our new Sustainable Laboratories Grants, which are designed to help improve the environmental footprint of chemistry research.
The grants, a new scheme developed and shaped with input from members of the RSC’s Science Subject Community Councils, will support initiatives that make research more sustainable.
The projects selected represent a broad range of sustainability topics across the whole of chemistry – from greener analytical techniques to reducing plastic waste – and are expected to inspire and inform others in the chemistry community with ideas and guidance on how to improve the environmental footprint of their labs. The project teams also represent a broad range of roles and career stages within chemistry, with five led by technicians, and four including a PhD student within the project team.
The list of awardees represents a huge range of creative and inventive solutions for attaining a better environmental footprint in the lab. Several projects look at the use of solvents, such as how to recycle them, use them more sustainably, or use less toxic alternatives. Other projects include the management of water in the lab, the recycling of palladium waste, and the usage of plastic consumables such as pipette tips. Several projects also focus on education and training in lab sustainability. One project, based in Ethiopia, aims to promote sustainability in science laboratories within local universities and high schools, and another is developing a digital education tool for sustainable laboratory research practice.
Each of the projects went through a rigorous review and decision-making process involving members of our Researcher Grants Peer Review Group, and an expert Decision Panel involving members of our Subject Community Councils. The panel selected 33 projects for funding, across 11 countries, with a total of £305K awarded. A second round of funding will open on 2 September 2024.
Meet the awardees (PDF download)
In 2022 we published our Sustainable Laboratories report, in which we uncovered what chemists are already doing to reduce the environmental footprint of their research, while at the same time continuing to deliver the ground-breaking discoveries and innovation that make the world a better place. We also shared the barriers and trade-offs they face in making sustainability-related changes, and the many opportunities for collaboration and other positive action.
The Sustainable Laboratories Grants form part of our commitment to accelerate our communities’ work towards more sustainable labs. It also forms part of our commitment to a positive science culture, set out in our 2023 Vision for science culture.
This funding will have impacts beyond these projects alone. As a key element of the scheme, all awardees are asked to ensure that their work has applications that can support the community as a whole towards more sustainable labs. This follows on from a key finding of the Sustainable Laboratories Report – the necessity of communities for sharing knowledge and best practice.
We were delighted to see the high level of engagement with the scheme and the quality and range of applications. We hope that this announcement inspires others to apply for funding in the next round, and to start conversations about sustainable laboratories in their own organisations.
