Carbon offsetting for research funded travel
Many research funders now expect organisations to consider the environmental impact of research activity, including business travel. Some funders, such as Wellcome, allow the cost of carbon offsetting for essential travel to be included within grant applications.
Support for research grant applications
Essential Travel can be defined as travel that must take place and cannot be replaced with virtual or lower carbon alternatives to achieve a critical outcome. When essential travel is required, it is undertaken using the most sustainable option available. Before travelling, researchers should:
- consider whether travel is necessary
- explore virtual alternatives where appropriate
- choose the most sustainable mode of transport that is practical.
Where travel is essential, the University of Liverpool now offers a carbon offsetting service through our approved travel provider, Clarity, making it simple to accurately cost eligible carbon offsetting at the application stage and purchase accredited carbon credits once travel takes place.
Who is this service for?
This service is available for researchers applying for grants where:
- the research funder explicitly permits or requires carbon offsetting for essential business travel
- carbon offsetting costs can be included within the grant budget
- travel is essential to deliver the research and cannot be reasonably be replaced by virtual or lower-carbon alternatives.
At present, Wellcome funded research is the primary example of this requirement, although other funders may introduce similar policies in the future.
Why use this service?
Using the University's approved process helps you to:
- meet funder requirements for environmental sustainability
- include accurate carbon offsetting costs within your grant application
- purchase accredited carbon credits through the University's approved travel provider
- support the University's Sustainability Strategy while recognising that some research travel remains essential.
The service uses accredited carbon offsetting provided through Clarity and Climate Impact Partners. The University has completed due diligence on this approach and has adopted Clarity's managed offsetting solution as the preferred option for research-funded travel.
Requesting a carbon offsetting costing
If you are preparing a grant application and need to include carbon offsetting costs:
Step 1 - Contact your Research Support Office Pre-Award team
Let your local Pre-Award contact know that you require a carbon offsetting costing for your application.
Step 2 - Provide your planned travel
Share details of all anticipated travel across the lifetime of the grant, including:
- expected travel dates
- destinations
- modes of transport
Step 3 - Costing through Clarity
Your Pre-Award contract will work directly with Clarity to calculate an estimated carbon offsetting cost.
Please allow five working days for this process.
Step 4 - Include the cost in your application
The estimated carbon offsetting cost can then be included within your grant budget submission.
For live projects
- If carbon offsetting is awarded as part of an existing, or future, grant budget, you can now add the cost of carbon offsetting directly within the Clarity travel booking system.
- Important: This option should only be used where carbon offsetting has been specifically costed and awarded as part of a research grant
- The carbon offsetting cost will be charged to the grant once the relevant travel has taken place.
Frequently asked questions
Which research funders currently support this?
Wellcome currently requires organisations to offset emissions from funded business travel and allows these costs to be included in grant applications. The University will continue to monitor other funders as their sustainability policies develop.
Does this cost the University?
No. The offsetting costs are included within eligible research funding where permitted by the funder. The University has adopted a process that ensures offsetting is only purchased where funding has been awarded.
Who provides the carbon offsetting?
The service is delivered through the University's approved travel provider, Clarity, working with Climate Impact Partners to purchase accredited carbon credits.
Further information
If you have questions about including carbon offsetting within a research grant application, please contact your local Research Support Office Pre-Award team.
As detailed in the University Travel and Expenses Policy, all travel and accommodation must be organised and purchased through the University approved online travel booking suppliers Clarity (except for items that cannot be purchased in advance e.g., bus, metro, tram, taxi).
For research funded travel, the traveller is responsible for ensuring that the travel is in line with the relevant funder terms and conditions and that the budget is available.
Alternative modes of travel are encouraged where practical or cost effective to support our sustainability ambitions. The traveller should demonstrate that alternatives to travel, such as videoconferencing, have been fully considered and are not appropriate.
For more information on how to reduce the impact of your business travel activities, visit here.
For more information on considering sustainability in research practice, visit here.