UCL has signed up to a ground-breaking new agreement aimed at making research more environmentally sustainable.
Global charitable foundation Wellcome's Concordat for Environmental Sustainability is a pledge to embed sustainability into an organisation's approach to research.
It covers six key areas such as maintaining transparency about the environmental impacts of research output and finding new climate-conscious, low-carbon approaches.
The agreement comes as Wellcome introduces a new policy which will require researchers to explain in new grant applications how they plan to reduce energy consumption, reuse equipment and recycle waste products.
By the end of next year, it will require those in lab-based environments to achieve the minimum level of accreditation offered by high-quality sustainability schemes such as UCL's Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) scheme and My Green Lab.
Under the LEAF scheme, laboratories are tasked with reducing their carbon emissions and creating an environment that supports research quality. Those accredited are awarded a bronze, silver or gold level.
Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement), said: "UCL is proud to be a signatory to the Concordat, and to join with partners across the research and innovation sector in leading the change toward greater sustainability.
"Our research has made significant contributions to climate science and understanding the importance of sustainability, but as an institution we have a vital role to play in reducing the environmental impact of our underlying practices and embedding sustainability in UCL's approach to research.
"This Concordat is an important step towards making sure that our research can meet the needs of future generations and make a positive contribution to our global community."
UCL Sustainable Research Manager Andrea Hodgetts said that laboratories are resource intensive. Significant amounts of energy and water can be needed to run equipment and maintain the correct laboratory environment, many of the consumables used in experiments are made from single use plastic and large quantities of waste are often produced.
Dr Hodgetts said: "LEAF encourages users to think about the way laboratories are operated to reduce consumption, drive energy efficiency and improve the sustainability of lab-based research."
Alyson Fox, Director of Research Funding at Wellcome, which has also signed the Concordat, said: "Health research has a crucial role in lessening the impacts of the climate crisis, yet rightly there is an increasing focus on the environmental impact of research itself.
"The report that Wellcome commissioned through RAND Europe last year highlighted the enthusiasm from across the sector to make change but also the need for meaningful leadership to create the momentum required.
"As an initial signatory of the new environmental sustainability concordat, Wellcome shares the ambition of others in the UK research and innovation sector.
"Our new policy is a first step but sets a clear path. We look forward to continuing to support world-class science in an environmentally responsible way."
The other organisations who have signed the Concordat are Bangor University, British Academy, Cancer Research UK, John Innes Centre, Keele University, National Institute for Health and Care Research, UK Research and Innovation, University of Edinburgh, University of Essex, University of Glasgow, University of Leicester, University of Liverpool and University of the West of England, Bristol.
Signatories are expected to publicly share how their organisations will deliver its sustainability aims and publish annual summaries of progress.
Six other organisations have signed up as supporters. This means they agree with the aims and many of the priority areas included in the Concordat but aren't able to commit to being a full signatory at this time.
Those organisations are Academy of Medical Sciences, Association of Medical Research Charities, Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland, Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges, Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society.
