EU virology researchers lead the way, prioritising sustainability
The consortium leading the EU-funded GUTVIBRATIONS project is a team of seven European partners from the fields of academia and industry. Not only will the project fast-track drug development, lower disease burden and save lives, it will also protect the environment while doing so. Beyond their scientific contribution, GUTVIBRATIONS has made a strong commitment to sustainability by reducing their carbon footprint as they undertake groundbreaking work in the field of organ-on-chip technology for virology. The GUTVIBRATIONS consortium consists of academic partners Amsterdam UMC (the Netherlands), Technical University of Denmark (Denmark), KU Leuven (Belgium), and KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) as well as industrial partners uniQure Biopharma BV (the Netherlands), BioLamina AB (Sweden), and STEMCELL Technologies UK Ltd. (United Kingdom). To maintain a smooth collaboration while reducing its carbon footprint, partners within the consortium agreed on sustainable travel alternatives that will be carried out throughout the project.
Virtual meetings to reduce CO2 emissions
One key area of focus for the consortium is mobility, with a goal of reducing CO2 emissions. To achieve this, GUTVIBRATIONS announced plans to limit physical meetings to one per year and it will conduct other consortium-wide meetings via teleconference or online. Training activities and courses that do not require physical attendance will also be conducted virtually. Additionally, the consortium has implemented a green travel policy by strongly encouraging its members to travel by train for journeys less than 8 hours long. As seen in the image, many of the locations are accessible by train in less than a day. With consortium members spread all over Europe, virtual meetings and gatherings are the standard. For instance, in November 2022, the GUTVIBRATIONS partners gathered virtually in Gather Town (a video-calling space) for the project’s first Periodic Review Meeting. Not only were partners able to create their own avatars, but they were also able to talk to each other and move from one discussion room to another. GUTVIBRATIONS is a forward-thinking consortium committed to sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint. Its innovative approach to conducting meetings and training activities online or via teleconferences and its green travel policy set an excellent example for other organisations to follow. If you are interested in having your project featured as a ‘Project of the Month’ in an upcoming issue, please send us an email to editorial@cordis.europa.eu and tell us why!
Keywords
GUTVIBRATIONS, organ-on-chip, virology, sustainability, carbon footprint, green travel policy