News & Media

Monitoring Group’s ‘Greener Monitoring’ work raised in Parliament

The importance of sustainability in clinical research was highlighted during a recent debate in the House of Lords.

Green Party Peer, Natalie Bennett, referenced the work of the Network’s Network Monitoring Group on Greener Clinical Trial Monitoring, as well as the Greener Trials Toolkit developed by the ICR-CTSU and colleagues during the House of Lords Committee debate on the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) (Amendment) Regulations 2024.

Ms Bennett noted that, whilst bodies like the UKCRC CTU Network and the NIHR were publishing guidance and promoting sustainable practices, these were voluntary schemes.  She queried whether the Government was considering providing a statutory basis for such activities.

With growing awareness of the environmental impact of clinical trials, the integration of sustainable practices into core trial activities is becoming a key priority and by taking a considered approach, we can reduce environmental impact whilst maintaining the highest levels of quality and oversight.

A big thank you to everyone involved in driving these important conversations forward!  We look forward to seeing further progress in this area.

Find out more about the Network’s Guidance for Greener Clinical Trial Monitoring here.