Research groups with wet labs receiving funding from these bodies will be required to obtain Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) certification as a prerequisite for new funding and or to maintain pre-existing funding streams later this year.
LEAF has been available on a voluntary basis at the University of Oxford for several years, yielding positive results. Evidence from the programme demonstrates its effectiveness and suitability, as well as its potential to save on average £3,700 and approximately 3 tonnes of CO2e per lab per year (based on data from the UCL LEAF programme, 2023).
The Environmental Sustainability team is making arrangements to support a substantial scaling of the programme during 2025 in response to the eligibility changes by funders.
What this means for our researchers
All wet-lab based research groups receiving funding from Wellcome and/or CRUK must obtain LEAF certification this year (Bronze for Wellcome funding and Silver for CRUK).
We believe many of the relevant Bronze criteria are already implemented in most labs as part of good practice, and this will need to be assessed for each lab as part of the LEAF certification process. Although the new compliance requirements represent a significant adjustment, this is a great opportunity for laboratories to adopt practices that will preserve resources and funds and address the environmental impacts of lab work.
The University’s Environmental Sustainability (ES) Team is working closely with funders to establish clear guidelines and processes to support this transition.
Key information – LEAF2025
Important dates
To accommodate the expected increase in Bronze-level submissions, deadlines will be staggered:
- Bronze Submission: 16 May
- Silver and Gold Submission: 20 June
- Audit period:
- Bronze audits: 19 May – 20 June,
- Silver and Gold audits: 20 June – 19 July.
- Important: Submit only for the highest award level you are targeting.
Getting started with LEAF
- Join the Sustainable Lab Leaders MS Teams group for guidance, resource, peer connections and support.
- Assess your groups requirements by your funding body. If accreditation is not mandatory, voluntary participation is encouraged.
- Select a target award level: Bronze, Silver, or Gold.
- Register the LEAF web-platform
- Attend Live Webinars starting April 1. Recordings To follow.
- Consider submission options - LEAF submissions can be made as individual research, group collective submissions (groups buddying labs), building-wide submissions
Resources
Please see our Information library on the MS Teams channel (file library) for more resources and information.
What's next
If you are a wet-lab that is funded by Wellcome or Cancer Research UK, and you haven’t heard from us, please register yourself to receive direct information.
If you are already a LEAF-certified lab, and your accreditation is less than 3 years old, you may not be required to recertify unless you require a higher level award.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at sustainability@admin.ox.ac.uk. We appreciate your cooperation and patience throughout the implementation of this important initiative.
