GSK funds Centre for Sustainable Chemistry in Nottingham
The innovative carbon neutral laboratory to be established on the Nottingham University campus
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the University of Nottingham today formalised a collaboration to establish a new laboratory to accommodate the Centre of Excellence for sustainable chemistry and to construct an innovative carbon neutral sustainable chemistry laboratory. This agreement represents progress on GSK’s ‘green chemistry’ commitment first announced in 2010.
The GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry will be based on the University’s Jubilee Campus and its construction is being supported by a £12m grant from GSK. The laboratory will be a Centre of Excellence for sustainable chemistry and will focus on research that is of particular relevance to the pharmaceutical industry and which complements established expertise at the University of Nottingham. It will also deliver advanced undergraduate teaching and outreach to the wider scientific community to embed sustainable chemistry principles in the next generation of scientists.
The Centre of Excellence will serve as a global hub to catalyse new collaborations with other institutions and industry partners and will bring together leading UK academics, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers and GSK chemists, developing expertise in sustainable chemical synthesis.
The focus on sustainability will be reflected in the building itself, which will incorporate the latest technologies to allow it to be carbon-neutral over its lifetime. The laboratory will be built from natural materials and energy required to run the laboratory will be met by renewable sources such as solar power and sustainable biofuel. Excess energy created by the building will provide enough carbon credits over 25 years to pay back the carbon used in its construction.
Sir Andrew Witty, ceo of GSK said: “The carbon neutral laboratory will help affirm the UK as a global hub for the future of the life-sciences industry. Our vision is that the science researched within the laboratory will be as iconic as the building itself. This is an opportunity to invest further in science in the UK, re-think how we approach the drug discovery process and play a role in contributing to environmental stewardship.”
Construction of the lab will begin in the spring of 2013 and it is expected to be completed during 2014. It will be designed to Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ‘Outstanding’ standard, and will be located on the University’s Jubilee Campus.