Green Impact Laboratory Accreditation

You do not need to complete all actions in the GILA module. This allows for flexibility in the nature of different labs spaces, and means you can choose the actions most relevant to your work whilst still ensuring significant progress has been made.

If your organisation has Tier 1 GILA support, you will be audited at the same time as the usual Green Impact audits. If there is Tier 2 support, lab-specific audits will be arranged at a separate time, up to a couple of months before/after the standard Green Impact audits.

You will be audited by students who are trained by SOS UK during a half-day training course. These auditors will then look through the evidence and comments you have uploaded to the toolkit, and they will also arrange an audit call with you to talk through any clarifications that are required.

For the Wellcome Trust, current guidance is that Research Academics must hold a GILA certificate (or equivalent) when applying for funding. The Wellcome Trust have included this line in their updated funding policy:

Laboratories should achieve the minimum level of accreditation offered by LEAF, My Green Lab or equivalent by the end of 2025. (GILA is counted as ‘equivalent.’)

For Cancer Research UK, current guidance is that Lead and Joint Lead applicants must hold an accreditation. They have included the following in their funding policy:

Lead and Joint Lead applicants must hold the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) or My Green Lab Certification at the Silver level, or an equivalent for their research group(s) at the time of submission; either attach the certification to their funding application or provide a link to a publicly available list of accredited research groups at their Host Institution(s). (GILA again is counted as ‘equivalent’ to silver level.)

[This information was updated in August 2025. Please refer to funder websites in case of any recent developments.]

Each Principal Investigator (PI) needs a certificate for each laboratory they work in. The certificate is for a physical space, NOT for a person. A ‘laboratory’ is defined as one physical room OR a group of up to six adjacent rooms, provided they are managed by the same person and procedures. Funders are looking for PIs to show evidence of commitment to sustainable research, and it will not be enough for the applicant(s) to say that their building/department is covered by a wider team certificate. This may not be necessary for all funding bodies. If you are unsure you should look for specific guidance in their requirements or contact your grant officer.

For the Wellcome Trust, current guidance is that Research Academics must hold a GILA certificate, and an institutional/college/school approach is not sufficient or in line with their funding policy. The Wellcome Trust have included this line in their updated funding policy:

Laboratories should achieve the minimum level of accreditation offered by LEAF, My Green Lab or equivalent by the end of 2025. (GILA is counted as ‘equivalent.’)

For Cancer Research UK, current guidance is that Lead and Joint Lead applicants must each hold an accreditation. They have included the following in their funding policy:

Lead and Joint Lead applicants must hold the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) or My Green Lab Certification at the Silver level, or an equivalent scheme for their research group(s) at the time of submission; either attach the certification to their funding application or provide a link to a publicly available list of accredited research groups at their Host Institution(s). (GILA again is counted as ‘equivalent’ to silver level.)

The PI will need a certificate for each lab. They do not need to lead the Green Impact team for each lab. We advise, in the interest of admin burden sharing, that one PI leads the Green Impact team for one lab and delegates the teams for other labs to other PIs or researchers.

All PIs using that lab can be named on the GILA certificate for the lab – please look at your Team Settings on the toolkit and enter the PI names under the relevant question. Ensure all PIs who use the lab are named even if they are not leading GILA for that specific lab.

If you have just joined the organisation, or have been on extended leave, you may have not had the opportunity to complete GILA before you need to apply for funding. In this case, you can apply for an ‘in progress’ certificate.