WEBVTT 1 00:00:08.200 --> 00:00:14.499 Martin Farley - UKRI: Okay. And so I assume you can see and hear me. Okay, I'll I'll make that full screen. 2 00:00:14.650 --> 00:00:26.850 Martin Farley - UKRI: 1st of all, sorry for joining late. I I when I got the slot I I had another session today. So I'm looking forward to seeing the the the recordings of this and it. It's super interesting, this event. 3 00:00:26.860 --> 00:00:51.170 Martin Farley - UKRI: and thank you very much for the slot to speak. So my name's Martin Farley. I'm the associate director of environmental sustainability for Ukri. And I'm going to talk to you about briefly something that we're working on. And I'd really appreciate your feedback. I'll put my email in the chat later on. But it's really to start a discussion around whether this is the right approach. Now 4 00:00:51.170 --> 00:01:20.330 Martin Farley - UKRI: in the backgrounds Ukri Houses, research councils, including Stfc. And we have a net 0 strategy for 2040, and that focuses on our own estate. There are 3 councils that have estates within Ukri, Stfc. Nerc. And Medical Research Council doing very different things, but sometimes comparable as well. 5 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:46.680 Martin Farley - UKRI: Now, in terms of Ukri, we've been assessing our emissions and what it means to get to net 0. And we have a decarbonization plan for the different States. And it's going to be a challenge. But it's feasible. We can do it, and you know I'm not here, though, to necessarily talk about that. But I just want to highlight that. We are quite conscious of our emissions. If we're going to engage the research sector itself to reduce, we have to consider our own emissions as well. 6 00:01:47.060 --> 00:01:47.759 Martin Farley - UKRI: Now. 7 00:01:48.580 --> 00:01:53.679 Martin Farley - UKRI: What I did want to talk about, though, is what we do with the wider research sector. 8 00:01:54.128 --> 00:02:02.200 Martin Farley - UKRI: Within the Uk you might be familiar with this. This is very focused on the Uk. But there's been a Concorda for environmental sustainability of research. 9 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:21.039 Martin Farley - UKRI: essentially an agreement that a lot of research performers and funders will align around improving the system sets out 6 priority areas which you can see there. But I'll let you look it up if you're interested. But I think it's an interesting approach, because it says we're going to come together and try to adjust this space. 10 00:02:21.810 --> 00:02:29.990 Martin Farley - UKRI: And meanwhile, you know, we get a lot of questions as funders. What are we going to do to support this space? And 11 00:02:30.860 --> 00:02:45.099 Martin Farley - UKRI: you know I want to highlight that. What I'm going to mention is partially semi-focused on health. But other forms of research. But that's the question I have for you today, around this approach towards areas like physics. So 12 00:02:45.950 --> 00:03:12.299 Martin Farley - UKRI: in the Uk cancer research, Uk and Wellcome trust have put out environmental sustainability policies in their funding mechanisms. They're asking organizations to become signatories in court at as well as promoting green lab accreditations. The Dfg. In Germany has put out sustainability guides, and it's more engaging applicants to consider sustainability. And there's there's discussions of funders between networks right now around. How do we engage the sector 13 00:03:12.300 --> 00:03:29.200 Martin Farley - UKRI: in a collaborative and constructive way to promote environmental sustainability in science as well as all research forms? And I think obviously, I'm focused more on science today for today's audience. But it's just that. That's the question I have. And I want to share an approach that we've had now 14 00:03:29.200 --> 00:03:53.640 Martin Farley - UKRI: in the background one of the things we've done, and I haven't mapped physics on here. This was done a while ago, and this is not an exhaustive list. But the point I want to make with this slide is that there's a lot of different initiatives going on for different research activities to make them more environmentally sustainable. Sometimes there's quantification and actually, Leban have done a lot around quantifying the emissions of research. If you haven't come across them. 15 00:03:53.650 --> 00:04:01.508 Martin Farley - UKRI: I'm guessing you have if you're here today because they've done some work in your area as well. And but there's a lot of good work out there 16 00:04:02.390 --> 00:04:06.040 Martin Farley - UKRI: And one of the the thoughts that we had is, how do we bring this together? 17 00:04:06.330 --> 00:04:11.556 Martin Farley - UKRI: And some people are doing high energy physics? But some people are doing 18 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:33.199 Martin Farley - UKRI: are crossing over between matters. Some people are doing biophysics. Some people are doing chemistry between biology labs or traveling. Some people are doing field work you were talking about travel just now, and there's a thought that if there's a lot of different sources for environmental sustainability, guidance, can we bring this together a bit to make it easier for the research sector to access. 19 00:04:33.200 --> 00:04:51.869 Martin Farley - UKRI: We also want to make sure that there are common ways of assessing the emissions of research activities. And I think Hannah is doing a lot of good work in this space and has done. But we're also conscious that we don't want there to be financial barriers to access what good looks like. 20 00:04:51.870 --> 00:04:58.359 Martin Farley - UKRI: and we need appropriate governance to ensure that what good looks like in the future evolves. 21 00:04:58.950 --> 00:05:01.286 Martin Farley - UKRI: And so right now, at least, there's a thought that 22 00:05:01.850 --> 00:05:06.723 Martin Farley - UKRI: We don't know exactly how to integrate sustainability within our funding mechanisms. 23 00:05:07.350 --> 00:05:32.760 Martin Farley - UKRI: we also can't ask open questions, we don't assess, and that's particular to Ukri. But we don't want to add administration and bureaucracy to how we fund research. So what we're working on now is what we've called the sustainable practice and research knowledge Hub, and that's what I just want to share with you. And the idea is that it can provide certification for research activities. And I appreciate that what you're doing is very is highly specified, so 24 00:05:32.760 --> 00:05:39.369 Martin Farley - UKRI: it might be less that it lends itself to a certification. But I still want you to think about that that approach. 25 00:05:39.640 --> 00:05:40.500 Martin Farley - UKRI: And 26 00:05:40.640 --> 00:06:08.329 Martin Farley - UKRI: but the idea is that it can provide certifications for different research activities to reflect the multitude of activities that different researchers do. So it'll be a bit flexible if you're doing. Xyz, then you get specific guidance on Xyz as opposed to ABC, you know, and it can, with some standard actions in the background which will be developed by academics that we engage. And so we want to engage the academic sector to produce what good looks like. 27 00:06:08.380 --> 00:06:28.530 Martin Farley - UKRI: make it open access and have a certification method, and that allows people to get a stamp to say good job. And that's important, because well, it's good to validate people's efforts. But also it's good from a funders perspective that we can see that people have participated in a process to recognize it potentially in funding mechanisms down the line. 28 00:06:28.810 --> 00:06:29.600 Martin Farley - UKRI: And 29 00:06:29.710 --> 00:06:45.359 Martin Farley - UKRI: so that's the process that we're approaching. The idea is that it would be a free, open access platform, but with some push for people to take it up. And it could house things like calculators, training and and certification. And we're in the process of developing it now. 30 00:06:45.360 --> 00:07:04.440 Martin Farley - UKRI: And we're engaging other research funders, mostly around Europe. But some outside around trying to collaborate in this space together, because we need a common idea of what good looks like if we're going to. It's already complicated to apply for funding. We can't have 10 different ideas of what good looks like in sustainability between 10 funders. 31 00:07:04.630 --> 00:07:15.789 Martin Farley - UKRI: So a lot of benefits to this approach, we think I won't go through them all. But I think there's, you know, transparency and and a common idea of good and and scalability. And 32 00:07:15.900 --> 00:07:21.155 Martin Farley - UKRI: you know, avoids duplication and and cost efficiency for for coming together 33 00:07:22.010 --> 00:07:35.809 Martin Farley - UKRI: and working collaboratively in this space. So what have we done? We've run a ton of workshops, and mostly we. We haven't engaged yet with your your specialist area. So I really appreciate the slot. Today I would love 34 00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:52.909 Martin Farley - UKRI: feedback, and you don't have to give it to me today. But again, I'll put my email in here if we want to run a workshop with physicists that would be great to understand. Can this be useful? And if if it's not useful, can we make it useful? Or is this not appropriate for your domains? 35 00:07:53.020 --> 00:08:00.680 Martin Farley - UKRI: And but we've we've started building this website. We want to start a pilot of it later in this fall. And we're looking to do this around Europe. 36 00:08:00.780 --> 00:08:29.850 Martin Farley - UKRI: And that's really the question I have for you is, does this sound like a helpful idea for physics? For what you do? And I understand that that's a broad tent as well, but we just want to support more environmentally sustainable research in the future. So your feedback is very welcome because we want to get it right. So I'll stop there. But I'll put my email in the chat and would appreciate any feedback if anybody has any. But thank you very much for the time. 37 00:08:35.070 --> 00:08:40.399 Stefania Juks: Much, Martin, and we're welcome to all the questions that you might have on the topic. 38 00:08:41.530 --> 00:08:43.360 Stefania Juks: Very interesting one, I should say 39 00:08:48.670 --> 00:08:50.649 Stefania Juks: any questions. Hence. 40 00:08:56.280 --> 00:09:01.239 Martin Farley - UKRI: I'll take the silence as overwhelming support for this approach. 41 00:09:01.500 --> 00:09:04.839 Stefania Juks: But it's also very interesting and kind of new, I mean. 42 00:09:04.990 --> 00:09:08.989 Stefania Juks: I don't know. I haven't seen such an initiative before. 43 00:09:09.160 --> 00:09:17.459 Stefania Juks: How would you actually see, like large-scale infrastructure, like those in high energy. Physics engage with initiatives such like the spark one. 44 00:09:18.700 --> 00:09:22.560 Stefania Juks: I was one of your questions, but like, how would you picture it? 45 00:09:23.060 --> 00:09:37.619 Martin Farley - UKRI: I would suggest that anybody who's interested is that we run a little workshop. What I will say is that we would imagine that there's 2 tiers of guidance. One would be focused at group level so activities that you can do on a day to day, and one would be more at organizational infrastructure level. 46 00:09:37.800 --> 00:10:02.570 Martin Farley - UKRI: And I say this because when we think about the way research groups function in other domains, be it life, science, or chemistry is that there's a lot that the group level can do. But actually, they need the organization infrastructure to meet them sort of in between. In ensuring that there's a sustainable research ecosystem. So I would imagine we run some workshops and we start to look at mapping. What good looks like in that space. 47 00:10:03.350 --> 00:10:11.059 Stefania Juks: And you would say that also, like the Spark initiative, would provide all the help with regards to the calculations and the, you know, for example, doing a lifecycle assessment. 48 00:10:13.270 --> 00:10:35.269 Martin Farley - UKRI: One of the things we're trying to do is look at supporting, developing some of the level and points calculators to be applied outside of France. That that's but we're not. We're not solving everything as well, you know. I don't think we're. I think some of the work that Hannah and others has done is is probably more appropriate to to this in my limited understanding, and I don't want to speak for her either. But yeah. 49 00:10:36.420 --> 00:10:37.180 Stefania Juks: Okay. 50 00:10:38.445 --> 00:10:40.520 Stefania Juks: Duane also like to say anything. 51 00:10:43.350 --> 00:10:45.979 Dwayne Spiteri: Yeah. It was just a very 52 00:10:46.100 --> 00:10:53.933 Dwayne Spiteri: a bit quick question. So one of the things about sustainability, at least as someone who provides money for funding research. Is that 53 00:10:54.430 --> 00:10:55.340 Dwayne Spiteri: like 54 00:10:55.840 --> 00:11:04.330 Dwayne Spiteri: some people don't want it to see as it like a tack on I've seen a lot of people. Slate Dei, sections of 55 00:11:04.910 --> 00:11:24.850 Dwayne Spiteri: this of applications for research, because it feels like it's tacked on. And they're asking for specific things. So I guess what we need, at least from Sdfc in this funders is, and a commitment to that. They're taking sustainability seriously and something where we can. The submission framework really has sustainability 56 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:31.599 Dwayne Spiteri: grounded into the entire concept. Not just here's what the science is at the end. How is it sustainable? 57 00:11:33.580 --> 00:11:38.908 Martin Farley - UKRI: It's it's a really good point. And I I say this, you know, my background's more in life sciences. But I I think, 58 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:42.699 Martin Farley - UKRI: what I have seen is that research quality aligns 59 00:11:42.960 --> 00:12:06.680 Martin Farley - UKRI: quite often with environmental sustainability approaches. So I think there is this alignment, that that, and it's beneficial to embed it within that we didn't call this an outright sustainability or green website, because actually, we wanted this to not necessarily just be thought of as a green add-on. And that's you know, the idea of there's a debate. Do we call this the greener research hub? Or do we call it spark? 60 00:12:06.740 --> 00:12:13.019 Martin Farley - UKRI: And and part of that was the debate of of How do we frame this? So it's a very good point, Dwayne, and appreciate that that. 61 00:12:18.020 --> 00:12:18.710 Dwayne Spiteri: Thank you. 62 00:12:21.940 --> 00:12:26.450 Stefania Juks: Okay, thank you, Martin. Maybe we'll also have the chance to talk about this in a future workshop. 63 00:12:27.377 --> 00:12:31.519 Stefania Juks: For now, since we're sort of on time. I think we can move on to the next talk with.