In this guest post, Susie Cook (Sustainability Implementation Manager) and Cat Rossiter (Manager), in the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability (SRS), give an update on the University of Edinburgh’s progress on supporting sustainable research and innovation.
The University was an early signatory to the UK Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice in April 2024, committing to progressively embedding environmental sustainability into all research and innovation activities.
What is 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.
What is the University of Edinburgh doing as a signatory?
The University has convened a steering group of staff from SRS and the Edinburgh Research Office (ERO), led by Professor Liz Baggs, and made up of representatives from all three Colleges, professional services and technical staff.
The Sustainable Research Working Group (SRWG) has developed a set of key recommendations over the last 12 months, covering four priority areas:
- Communications and training – including raising awareness of the Concordat and increasing sign-ups for the Sustainable Lab Awards
- Lab accreditation – ensuring a more joined-up approach to applications to the Sustainable Lab Awards across the institution
- Resource sharing – Identifying systems and processes to support equipment sharing
- Behavioural and cultural change – working to support a culture that supports sustainable research practice
To find out more, visit: Supporting sustainable research and innovation: progress against the Concordat | Social Responsibility and Sustainability.
Recent and planned developments
SRS has just developed a Sustainable Research Practice training course for all staff who support research at the University and a Sustainable Research Practice SharePoint for University colleagues who support and conduct research.
SRS are also developing further researcher specific guidance and always happy to receive any suggestions. If you have anything you want to discuss email Susie Cook [scook2@ed.ac.uk]
(Image by Rosy / Bad Homburg / Germany from Pixabay)
