The Foundation for Polish Science is among the European organizations that endorse the just-announced Heidelberg Agreement on Environmental Sustainability in Research Funding.
The agreement commits institutions conducting and funding research to promote sustainable practices in research. It defines principles for transitioning to a more sustainable system of conducting research and practical recommendations for implementing sustainability in funding systems.
Work on the Agreement was initiated by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in Heidelberg 2024 and involved representatives from European funding agencies, research organizations, grassroots initiatives, social scientists and experts from nine different European countries.
“The Foundation for Polish Science welcomes this initiative. We fully recognize the responsibility of research community and research funders towards environment and society. Many of the principles of the Agreement are already implemented by the Foundation. Other reflect our aspirations for the future. Some of the recommendations included in the Agreement require deep cultural and systemic changes that are beyond an easy reach of a single organization and which require coordinated effort of many stakeholders. Acknowledging that full enactment of the Agreement is a major challenge, the Foundation declares its will pursue this ambitious goal to the best of its means. We strongly believe that promoting sustainable and deliberate science serves primary interest of the society and research community “ says Marta Lazarowicz, PhD, Vice President of the Board of the Foundation for Polish Science.
In addition to the Foundation for Polish Science, the Agreement has been endorsed by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Dutch Research Council (NWO), EMBO, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), French National Research Agency (ANR), German Research Foundation (DFG), Green Algorithms Initiative, Green Labs Netherlands (GLN), Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Medical Research Council (MRC), National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome.
The Agreement marks the beginning of a wider European effort towards environmental sustainability in research funding. It serves as an invitation to the international research community to work together on this critical issue.
The Heidelberg Agreement on Environmental Sustainability in Research Funding is available here: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13938809.