Committing to sustainable research and innovation
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BSU champions sustainability in Research and Innovation practice
Monday, 30 June, 2025Bath Spa University is the latest signatory on the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice.
This agreement has been co-developed by the UK Research and Innovation sector with the aim of ensuring that the future of Research and Innovation is conducted in a responsible and environmentally sustainable way.
Alongside other signatories and supporters, BSU is committing to continue embedding environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University’s research and innovation practices.
BSU joins other universities, research institutes, and funding organisations delivering research and supporting innovation to work together, improving sustainability by sharing best practice and resources to become role models in the sector.
This shared ambition to continue with cutting-edge research and innovation while collectively reducing environmental impact, is at the heart of BSU’s core values.
Writing a letter of support to confirm BSU's commitment to the concordat, Professor Georgina Andrews, Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University said:
“Bath Spa University fully supports the priority areas outlined in the concordat. We will deliver against all the priorities in practice and recognise our responsibilities as a signatory.”
Becoming a signatory on the concordat sits alongside many other cutting-edge developments being made by the University to ensure environmental sustainability remains at the forefront of everything it does. From pioneering in researching innovative approaches to governing AI's environmental impacts, and developing sustainability driven auditing and science lab practice, to supporting endangered species that call BSU’s campus home, embedding sustainable practices in the BSU community and saving thousands of single use plastic cups from landfill, BSU is wholeheartedly committed, not just to being a signatory of the concordat, but to its even wider responsibility to sustainability.
Commenting on the importance of sustainability to BSU, Sustainability Manager Ripley Hill-Nixon, said:
“I'm very happy that the University has made a public commitment to responsible research practices, and it's exciting to see the academic and research side of BSU recognising both the importance of sustainability and being given a platform to speak about the great work our staff and students are already doing.
“Research has been highlighted as a key theme in our Sustainability Strategy, and the impact of this area on the environment is generally high. BSU Sustainability are therefore delighted to support this concordat and look forward to working with an even greater amount of BSU staff and students on improving our sustainability, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals and our own environmental aims.
“This concordat will give us a solid understanding of the steps we can and should be taking in this historically difficult to target area and will also allow us to highlight and celebrate the progress we're making and its impact on the sustainability of the University as a whole.”
Commenting on this exciting step for BSU’s research, Sarah Priston, Head of the Research Office at BSU, said:
“We are delighted that Bath Spa University has signed up to the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, which sits at the heart of our Research Strategy and is one of the core University values.
“The themes of the Concordat align strongly to our commitment to responsible research practices, and our support for staff and research students to pursue research, assessment and engagement activities responsibly, with integrity and to the highest standards.
“By aligning to the core principles of the Concordat, we are affirming that BSU is committed to demonstrating socially responsible leadership of research, research infrastructure and facilities.”
Are you looking to find out more about how BSU puts sustainability at its core? Visit BSU’s sustainability pages.