£200k awarded to 23 projects worldwide in third and final RSC Sustainable Laboratories Grants funding round
Sustainability projects are to share over £200,000 thanks to an RSC grants scheme committed to cutting the environmental impact of lab-based work.
A total of 23 projects led by RSC members in 10 countries have each received up to £10,000 after their applications were selected in the final round of our three-year Sustainable Laboratories Grants programme.
This brings the total awarded by the Sustainable Laboratories Grants scheme since its launch in 2023 to over £750,000. To date the funding has supported more than 80 projects , with the aim of accelerating take-up of sustainable laboratory practices and developing new sustainability best practice that could benefit all lab users. Scientists from 22 countries, across five continents, have benefited from the globally inclusive scheme.
What’s more, the Sustainable Laboratories Grants initiative has also given backing to individuals and teams at different stages of their respective careers, covering everyone from technicians and students to senior academics and industry researchers.
This year’s diverse array of projects will tackle areas of focus including column-free chromatography, methanol recycling and digital tools to guide sustainable chemical synthesis. Full details of this year’s awardees can be found in the box below.
For our Head of Science and Sustainability Strategy Lead Dr Deirdre Black, this year’s cohort has brought a remarkable breadth of ideas and perspectives that reflect both the urgency of the sustainability challenge and the ingenuity of the global research community.
“The creativity and commitment demonstrated by this year’s grant recipients continues to highlight just how motivated members of our community are to reducing the environmental impact of their work while driving forward science and its applications,” she said.
“Collectively, these projects show that even small, targeted interventions can contribute to a much larger shift towards more sustainable scientific practice.”
Philip Howes (University of Sussex, United Kingdom)
- Project title: Democratisation of Autonomous Microreactors for Sustainable Nanomaterials R&D
- Project summary: The project aims to develop low-cost, open‑source autonomous microreactors to reduce reagent and solvent use while accelerating discovery via AI optimisation, using colloidal nanomaterials as a case study.
Alexander van Teijlingen (ModelMole, United Kingdom)
- Project title: Machine Learning for Sustainable Solvent Optimisation in Chemical Synthesis
- Project summary: This project aims to develop a specialised machine learning model to identify sustainable solvent alternatives for chemical reactions, enabling accurate predictions with lower computational energy demands.
Venanzio Raglione (National Research Council, Italy)
- Project title: Clean Purification: Less Silica, Less Solvent, Same Chemistry
- Project summary: The project aims to transform purification practices in organic chemistry by replacing routine silica chromatography with column-free methods applied to representative transformations, including key cross-coupling reactions. Through quantitative benchmarking and optimised solvent recovery, it will reduce waste, energy, and water use while maintaining yield and purity, and deliver transferable protocols for wider adoption.
Shahzad Ameen and Irfan Ullah (Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan)
- Project title: CIRCLe – Circular, Integrated Reconditioning & Recovery for Consumables & Lab Liquids
- Project summary: The project aims to develop a compact, low‑cost system to safely clean and reuse pipette tips and autosampler vials alongside solvent recovery via micro‑distillation, enabling consumable reuse and solvent recycling in chemistry labs.
Lorraine Gibson and Patrick Thomson (University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom)
- Project title: Downcycling by Design
- Project summary: The project aims to create a tiered framework to downcycle laboratory plastic waste from research into suitable teaching‑lab applications by considering acceptable contamination levels and accuracy needs.
James Coverdale (University of Birmingham, United Kingdom)
- Project title: Towards nitric acid‑free workflows: sustainable enzymatic digestion for measuring trace elements in cells
- Project summary: The project aims to develop an enzyme-based alternative to nitric acid digestion to prepare cell samples for trace elemental analysis. The method will eliminate hazardous acids, reduce emissions, and improve safety.
Katherine Mitchell and Anna‑Maria MacKay (Scottish Water, United Kingdom)
- Project title: Scaling rPET Bottle Use for Sustainable Laboratory Practices in Water Analysis
- Project summary: The project aims to validate the use of laboratory bottles containing higher levels of recycled PET for water analysis without compromising analytical quality and to ensure reliability, regulatory compliance and long-term feasibility in the water analysis sector.
Miloš Auersvald (University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic)
- Project title: Sustainable GC×GC‑FID Flow Modulated System with Hydrogen Carrier Gas
- Project summary: The project aims to optimise the switch from helium to hydrogen in two‑dimensional gas chromatography by developing step‑by‑step guidance that maintains sensitivity while enabling more sustainable and cost‑effective analysis.
Steven Street (The University of Liverpool, United Kingdom)
- Project title: Utilising ‘preloved’ scientific equipment: An overlooked aspect of sustainability in research
- Project summary: The project aims to explore the feasibility of furnishing a new chemistry lab entirely with second‑hand equipment, providing best‑practice guidance to reduce financial and environmental costs.
Ramiz Zulkharnay and Gulnur Zulpukarova (University of Bristol, United Kingdom)
- Project title: Recycling Single‑Crystal Diamond Substrates from Metal Contacts
- Project summary: The project aims to develop sustainable wet‑chemistry methods to remove metal contacts from single‑crystal diamond substrates while preserving surface quality and enabling reuse.
Yingjun Liu (Poro Technologies Ltd, United Kingdom)
- Project title: Closing the Loop: Substrate Reuse for Greener Semiconductor Laboratories
- Project summary: The project aims to demonstrate reuse protocols for epitaxial substrates such as GaN, SiC, and sapphire using engineered porous buffer layers to reduce waste, energy demand, and carbon emissions.
Audrey Laventure (Université de Montréal, Canada)
- Project title: FilUM: A sustainable framework for fused filament deposition 3D printing
- Project summary: The project aims to repurpose 3D printing waste into new filament for redistribution within the university research community, promoting a circular economy and reducing environmental impact.
Anastasiah Ngigi (Multimedia University of Kenya, Kenya)
- Project title: Giving lab chemicals a second life
- Project summary: The project aims to develop a closed‑loop, energy‑efficient approach to recover, purify, and reuse methanol and commonly used buffers in teaching and research laboratories while maintaining analytical reliability.
Sean Bew (University of East Anglia, United Kingdom)
- Project title: PipReCycler – An automated, environmentally friendly glass Pasteur pipette cleaner
- Project summary: The project aims to develop an automated system to clean and reuse glass Pasteur pipettes, significantly reducing CO₂ emissions and promoting circularity in teaching and research laboratories.
Lorna Duffy and Matthew McConville (Sygnature Discovery, United Kingdom)
- Project title: Sustainable organic synthesis in early stage drug development
- Project summary: The project aims to accelerate adoption of sustainable synthetic methods in early drug discovery through aqueous alternatives to organic solvents, supported by screening kits and practical guidance.
David G. Calatayud and Ana Castellanos Aliaga (Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain)
- Project title: GreenSynDB: Interactive Open-Access Database for Sustainable Chemical Synthesis
- Project summary: The project aims to create an open-access database, GreenSynDB, which will score synthetic methods by sustainability metrics and feature searchable tools, visual labels, and benchmarking dashboards to help researchers make informed decisions.
Muhammad Altaf (Government College University Lahore, Pakistan) and Hasan Yaqoob (Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan)
- Project title: Pakistan’s First Sustainable Chemistry Laboratory
- Project summary: The project aims to establish a model sustainable chemistry laboratory in Pakistan integrating solvent recovery, green solvents in teaching, and certified safety training, providing a replicable national framework.
Amit Kumar and Craig Johnston (University of St Andrews, United Kingdom)
- Project title: Development of a Sustainable Glass Vial Reuse System
- Project summary: This project aims to implement a school-wide system to clean and reuse glass vials using a dishwasher, standardised protocols, and a booking platform. Life-cycle assessment will demonstrate major reductions in waste, CO₂ emissions, and costs. The project aims to deliver a scalable model for sustainable laboratory practice across the chemical sciences.
Elena Iuliana Biru and Cosmin Gabriel Pauliuc (Politehnica University of Bucharest, Romania)
- Project title: From Single‑Use Plastics to Resources
- Project summary: The project aims to recycle laboratory plastics into 3D‑printing filament for producing non‑critical lab accessories, reducing virgin plastic use, carbon emissions, and costs in a circular model.major reductions in waste, CO₂ emissions, and costs through life‑cycle assessment.
Iain Smellie (University of St Andrews, United Kingdom) and Melissa D’Ascenzio (University of Dundee, United Kingdom)
- Project title: From Waste to Resource: Circular Approaches to the Chemistry Lab Curriculum
- Project summary: The project aims to redesign teaching experiments so products feed into subsequent reactions, embedding circularity into chemistry curricula and reducing chemical waste.
Stefano Cinti (University of Naples Federico II, Italy) and Panagiota Kalligosfyri (Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, Italy)
- Project title: Open‑source sustainable laboratories: 3D‑printing for everyone and everywhere
- Project summary: The project aims to recycle PLA and PET waste into high‑quality filament to manufacture reusable lab consumables and electrochemical sensors, cutting single‑use plastic waste by at least 50% and sharing designs openly.
Yoon Yee Then and Lai Chun Wong (IMU University, Malaysia)
- Project title: Carbon Footprint Dashboard for Teaching Laboratories: Embedding Sustainability Literacy into Pharmaceutical Chemistry Education
- Project summary: The project aims to develop a dashboard enabling students to measure and reduce the environmental impact of teaching laboratory work, embedding sustainability literacy into core pharmaceutical chemistry modules.
Michael Forde and Terry Mohammed (University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago)
- Project title: Engineering sustainability into UWI laboratories and research culture by ground‑up design
- Project summary: The project aims to assess awareness and barriers to sustainable laboratory practice across five campuses and develop tested strategies and self‑assessment tools to support long‑term culture change.
Community-inspired scheme showing early impacts
We established the Sustainable Laboratories Grants initiative after the 2022 release of our Sustainable laboratories report. Drawing on perspectives from our Subject Communities, our research showed that sustainability was increasingly important for lab users as well as their institutions, funders and customers.
With the topic of sustainability in lab settings covering everything from the equipment and chemicals used to the way the research is carried out and the labs themselves, there were – and are – countless areas for exploration.
The latest cohort brings the total number of projects funded since 2023 to 82, with 33 funded in the inaugural round, and a further 26 supported last year.
Early reporting from the first two funding rounds shows promising outcomes, including measurable reductions in environmental impacts and upskilling of hundreds of scientists through training, workshops and collaborations. Projects have generated new peer‑reviewed scientific knowledge on areas such as laboratory plastic reuse, sustainable solvents and acetone recycling.
Wider impact has been amplified through international conferences in the UK and at the PACN Congress in Kenya, as well as at the 2026 #RSCPoster online conference and in a Chemistry World feature series, launched this week, highlighting project findings and best practice.
Our Science Subject Community Councils have played a pivotal role in this scheme, both in shaping the report, designing the scheme, and participating in the Decision Panel that undertook the difficult task of selecting from among the many outstanding applications received.
Reflecting on the programme’s impact, Professor Helen Sneddon, Director of the University of York’s Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence and Decision Panel Chair, said: “The Sustainable Labs Grants have given researchers a chance to explore topics that might otherwise have been overlooked, and to support members across the RSC’s global community.
"It’s exciting to see the range of actions and ideas coming from our community, and we look forward to seeing more of this knowledge applied to reduce the environmental footprint of laboratories”.
Find out more about our Sustainable Labs work
We have a wealth of resources that can help you make your workplace greener, regardless of the nature of the work you do. Learn more about what we have been working on and what you can do in your lab by clicking on the links below:
- Our Sustainable Laboratories hub – containing a living library of practical guidance and resources, networks and tools, and details of all the projects funded by the Sustainable laboratories grant scheme, as well as our influential Sustainable laboratories report.
- Chemistry World Sustainable Labs article collection - highlighting findings from completed Sustainable labs grant projects and sharing tips on how to take action
- The Sustainability of Science – a new open access book, published in April 2026, bringing together insights from experts across disciplines, sectors and career stages and serving as a comprehensive handbook for anyone wanting to improve the sustainability of their research.
- Our sustainability strategy – this document sets out our understanding of the role of chemistry in sustainability and highlights the many opportunities for the chemistry community to continue to build sustainability into chemistry practices, processes and products.