Across our estate, we aim to create infrastructure that is efficient, adaptable and environmentally responsible, while investing in facilities that support scientific discovery, technological innovation and regional skills.
Our approach combines high environmental standards for buildings with modern laboratories, digital and engineering facilities and robust environmental management, helping our campuses demonstrate how infrastructure can support innovation while reducing its environmental impact.
We have maintained ISO 14001 environmental management certification since 2009, providing independent verification of our approach to continual improvement.
Investing in infrastructure for science and innovation
In 2024, we completed the new £32 million Lab at ARU Peterborough, creating specialist facilities for STEM education and innovation. The building includes microbiology and tissue-culture laboratories, engineering workshops and an innovative Living Lab, which is designed for use by students and the wider community. Developed through partnership between ARU, Peterborough City Council and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, the facility is designed to strengthen higher-level skills and support growth and investment across the region. Completed in August 2024, the building achieved BREEAM Excellent certification. Approximately 89 tonnes of CO₂ emissions were saved during construction, equivalent to the emissions associated with heating 133 homes for a year, while the construction site operated entirely without diesel, reducing carbon emissions and improving local air quality.
Opening innovation infrastructure to the community
Our newest infrastructure is designed to create value beyond ARU. The Living Lab at ARU Peterborough provides space for exhibitions and events intended to inspire greater engagement with STEM, while links with local libraries, museums and arts venues are intended to help create a broader cultural hub for Peterborough and the surrounding region. By opening specialist university infrastructure to the wider community, ARU connects its investment in science and technology with regional opportunity and public engagement.
Making research infrastructure more sustainable
Innovation also depends on ensuring that the research itself is delivered responsibly. ARU is a signatory to the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, a UK-sector commitment to reducing the environmental footprint of research. The Concordat promotes environmentally sustainable research infrastructure, circular-economy approaches to resources and supply chains, greater use of reusable products and movement towards net-zero or near-net-zero infrastructure for research and innovation. Our letter of commitment to the priorities of the Concordat sates that 'The Concordat’s focus on leadership, sustainable infrastructure, responsible procurement and collaborative action aligns with our goal of Growth and Sustainability and reinforces our ambition to act with integrity and responsibility for people and the planet.'
Last updated: October 2026
To request additions, corrections or changes to the information in these pages, please contact: Dr Zareen Bharucha: [email protected]. Please use the subject line ‘ARU SDG’.