Sustainable Research Practice

The University is committed to embedding sustainability into Researchers’ practices to mitigate environmental impacts throughout all activities of research and innovation. This is in acknowledgement of various risks from growing societal obligations but also creates new opportunities for developing world-class research with positive impact.

This page provides guidance, direction, information and advice to help Researchers identify their responsibilities and to raise awareness of risks and expectations when designing and conducting research. It also aims to highlight the ethical and operational considerations affecting research practices which reflect the University’s wider commitments to environmental sustainability, ensuring that all our research and operations are conducted to the highest standards.

Research at the University of Warwick is underpinned by a commitment to environmental sustainability across all University activities and processes. Specifically, the University acknowledges the changing expectations and requirements of the research funding landscape, which include our commitments as part of and in response to the:

• Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation PracticeLink opens in a new window
• REF2029 metrics for Research Culture
• University and departmental (sustainability) rankings

Accordingly, we set out how environmental sustainability is

• part of, and integrated into, the University’s research strategy and culture, ethics and leadership aspirations
• referenced in relevant University R&IS documents
• reflected in our actions and decisions shaping research activities
• promoted as a key principle underpinning our co-produced or collaborative R&IS activities
• driving research infrastructure investments and procurement decisions

We seek to avoid treating sustainable research as a compliance-driven tick-box exercise that treats all faculties and departments with a “one-size-fits-all" approach. Instead, the goal is to develop and support an aspirational world-class research culture at Warwick where both social and environmental sustainability are part of an ongoing commitment towards continuously improving and innovating the practices, behaviours, mindsets and decisions involved across all our different everyday research activities.

There is also a recognition that greater integration of sustainability in research is important to strengthen institutional resilience and ongoing adaptation to a variety of future risks and challenges (e.g., physical, regulatory and reputational effects from climate change and other environmental issues).

Yet sustainability commitments do not exist in isolation and are connected to other research considerations (e.g., wellbeing, creativity, integrity, openness, interdisciplinarity, Warwick values). There are unavoidable tensions with, but also opportunities for, cross-functional impacts regarding Warwick’s other strategic pillars (social inclusion, innovation, regional leadership, international). Researchers should acknowledge and process the resulting interconnections to ensure they develop research activities that are designed to maximise and/or manage impacts across different strategic pillars.

This content will be continually updated and refined as required. Accordingly, the details included and this list of issues in scope are indicative of challenges currently considered by the University but should not be seen as exhaustive. Researchers should therefore follow both the spirit and the letter of the Sustainable Research Practice Guidance and reflect on any new issues as and when knowledge on environmental sustainability expands.