Sustainable Futures and Bupa combine to affect healthcare sector's environmental impact
21 Jan 2025
The University and Bupa have announced a new Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Prosperity Partnership to develop novel methods and strategies to drastically reduce the healthcare sector’s environmental impact upon our planet.
The research programme aims to address the challenges of plastic waste in healthcare settings by exploring the relationship between social practice, material selection, reuse, and recycling while maintaining high-quality clinical outcomes. In response to complex sustainability challenges in the sector, the work will explore circular pathways, identify barriers and unintended consequences, and unlock opportunities to minimise the environmental impacts of materials in healthcare settings.
The three-year partnership brings together two organisations striving for authentic environmental sustainability, backed by innovative research and real-world practice. The collaboration is co-funded by an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership award, UKRI’s flagship co-investing programme building business and academic research collaboration.
Professor Mike Shaver, Director of Sustainable Futures and academic lead for the new partnership said: “We are thrilled by the opportunity to work with Bupa on this ambitious new project, extending our systemic understanding of plastics, waste management, social practice and environmental impacts to reshape material provision in healthcare. These collaborations are essential to translating our research efforts into real world impact.”
The University team behind the successful bid and interdisciplinary collaborators on the project over the next 3 years includes; Mike Shaver, Helen Holmes, Ciaran Lahive, Rosa Cuellar-Franca, Tom McDonald and Matt Gibson.
The project is bringing together co-creators across Materials, Sociology, Biosciences, Chemical Engineering and Sustainability to form a cohesive interdisciplinary response to complex challenges within the healthcare sector. University colleagues will be jointly working with industry counterparts and data to both understand and address barriers to material sustainability in medical, dental and hospital clinical environments.
This new partnership has been recognised by EPSRC for bringing together The University of Manchester’s interdisciplinary collaborative researchers and knowledge-base, with data from and access to more than 500 Bupa dental practices, clinics, care homes and The Cromwell Hospital. These are challenges which can only be tackled by marrying academia and industry. The collaboration was built with the support of The University’s Sustainable Futures research platform and Bupa.
Work with Unit M
Unit M is the University’s dedicated innovation unit, established to enhance collaboration between academia and industry, thereby driving economic growth and societal impact.
This new collaboration highlights future opportunities facilitated by Unit M, which is tasked with supercharging the region’s innovation ecosystem. Unit M is now live and actively engaging with researchers, academics, entrepreneurs, investors, and changemakers eager to shape the future of the region.
Professor Lou Cordwell, CEO of Unit M said: “Ahead of the formal launch of Unit M, the founding leadership team has been working to develop this partnership with Bupa to highlight the benefits of organisations engaging with Unit M to drive real-world impact and innovation. The collaboration has taken shape over the past two years to establish a long term, University wide innovation partnership.”
To explore collaboration opportunities and take your research from the lab to the real world, visit the Unit M website or contact the team directly.