Leading Pakistani researchers have been awarded a competitive £10,000 grant by the UK’s Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) to establish "Pakistan’s First Sustainable Chemistry Laboratory" at Government College University (GCU) Lahore.

Selected as one of only 23 projects funded globally in the RSC's 2026 Sustainable Laboratories Grants cohort, the initiative is led by Dr. Muhammad Altaf, Associate Professor at GCU’s Institute of Chemical Sciences, alongside Hasan Yaqoob, a doctoral researcher at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and an Old Ravian.

Speaking to media regarding this achievement, Dr. Altaf detailed that the core model laboratory, closed-loop solvent recovery micro-distillation systems, and national training workshops will be hosted on site at GCU Lahore.

"The project addresses critical environmental impact and resource inefficiency in conventional research settings," Dr. Altaf explained. "By integrating solvent recovery systems, chemicals can be purified and reused rather than discarded. The initiative also transitions undergraduate curricula toward green solvents and provides certified safety and sustainability training for laboratory staff."

He added that the ultimate vision extends beyond a single facility: "The goal is to establish a standardized, eco-efficient operational framework that can be replicated across higher education and research institutions nationwide."

The initiative brings together a strong inter-institutional network of national and international academic collaborators, including Prof. Christian Nielsen from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), Dr. Ghayoor Abbas Chotana (LUMS), Prof. Raja Shahid Ashraf (GCU), and Dr. Munazza Shahid from the University of Education (UOE).

This milestone places Pakistani researchers on the global stage in the movement toward eco-friendly scientific research. The RSC grant scheme, which has distributed over £750,000 globally since 2023 to accelerate sustainable lab practices, received competitive applications worldwide, underscoring the quality of innovation and environmental stewardship emerging from Pakistan's academic community.

Congratulating the team on this global recognition, GCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Muhammad Omer Chaudhry stated that GCU's top priority is cultivating a research culture that translates into tangible societal impact. “Establishing Pakistan's first sustainable chemistry lab perfectly aligns with our vision of producing science that not only advances knowledge but also actively protects our environment and resources," he said.