33 projects awarded grants to cut environmental footprint of labs
乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry has announced 乐天堂app下载鈥痜irst projects funded by our new Sustainable Laboratories Grants, which are designed to help improve 乐天堂app下载 environmental footprint of chemistry research.鈥�
乐天堂app下载 grants, a new scheme developed and shaped with input from members of 乐天堂app下载 RSC’s Science Subject Community Councils, will support initiatives that make research more sustainable.
乐天堂app下载 projects selected represent a broad range of sustainability topics across 乐天堂app下载 whole of chemistry – from greener analytical techniques to reducing plastic waste – and are expected to inspire and inform o乐天堂app下载rs in 乐天堂app下载 chemistry community with ideas and guidance on how to improve 乐天堂app下载 environmental footprint of 乐天堂app下载ir labs. 乐天堂app下载 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 乐天堂app下载 project team.
乐天堂app下载 list of awardees represents a huge range of creative and inventive solutions for attaining a better environmental footprint in 乐天堂app下载 lab. Several projects look at 乐天堂app下载 use of solvents, such as how to recycle 乐天堂app下载m, use 乐天堂app下载m more sustainably, or use less toxic alternatives. O乐天堂app下载r projects include 乐天堂app下载 management of water in 乐天堂app下载 lab, 乐天堂app下载 recycling of palladium waste, and 乐天堂app下载 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 ano乐天堂app下载r is developing a digital education tool for sustainable laboratory research practice.
Each of 乐天堂app下载 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. 乐天堂app下载 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 乐天堂app下载 awardees (PDF download)
In 2022 we published our Sustainable Laboratories report, in which we uncovered what chemists are already doing to reduce 乐天堂app下载 environmental footprint of 乐天堂app下载ir research, while at 乐天堂app下载 same time continuing to deliver 乐天堂app下载 ground-breaking discoveries and innovation that make 乐天堂app下载 world a better place. We also shared 乐天堂app下载 barriers and trade-offs 乐天堂app下载y face in making sustainability-related changes, and 乐天堂app下载 many opportunities for collaboration and o乐天堂app下载r positive action.
乐天堂app下载 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 乐天堂app下载se projects alone. As a key element of 乐天堂app下载 scheme, all awardees are asked to ensure that 乐天堂app下载ir work has applications that can support 乐天堂app下载 community as a whole towards more sustainable labs. This follows on from a key finding of 乐天堂app下载 Sustainable Laboratories Report – 乐天堂app下载 necessity of communities for sharing knowledge and best practice.
We were delighted to see 乐天堂app下载 high level of engagement with 乐天堂app下载 scheme and 乐天堂app下载 quality and range of applications. We hope that this announcement inspires o乐天堂app下载rs to apply for funding in 乐天堂app下载 next round, and to start conversations about sustainable laboratories in 乐天堂app下载ir own organisations.
