10 December 2025

By Katherine Paine

We are delighted to present to you the third prize-winning essay by Katherine Paine (University of Edinburgh) from our essay competition, ‘Innovative ideas for the future of sustainable events’. We received a high number of thoughtful and innovative essays, and while it was a tough decision for our Sustainability Board to make, this essay stands out. Here is Katherine Paine’s innovative idea that could make the events of the future more sustainable:

Attending workshops and conferences is an essential part of being a researcher. These events enable us to share research, learn outside of our institute bubbles and connect as a community. There are many events (both national and international) on offer, and, with a busy research schedule, scientists simply cannot attend them all or even be fully aware of all meetings taking place to select those most interesting for each field. My idea involves addressing this problem by creating an online database of events and an additional interactive tool that “matches” researchers with the most sustainable events for their needs and interests.

It would involve the course/conference organisers filling out a short questionnaire about their activity. This would include the location, what they are offering (using keywords and subject areas) and a list of speakers or industry partners in attendance. Organisers would also fill out a questionnaire focused on sustainability. They would input information into a form that would then award points for “sustainability” which could be based on The Company of Biologists’ event carbon calculator. The aspects included could be catering choices, proximity to public transport options, a sustainability hour included in the programme and incentives for individuals who travel sustainably. These are just a few examples of the many ways that events are now being made more sustainable.

Researchers wishing to attend an event could search a database by inputting their location and interests. For example, they might be looking to present their work, speak to an industry partner or undergo some training at a workshop. Entries that match their criteria would be ranked based on sustainability and the researcher could browse through, with each event’s characteristics, and approach to sustainability being highlighted. And so, an imaging workshop accessible to the researcher by train would rank higher than one that requires air travel.

Setting up this platform could be part of a paid internship for PhD students or researchers who want to gain experience outside of the lab. The application process for this could ensure equal opportunity and be socially sustainable. This tool would need to be built up and promoted across platforms such as mailing lists, institutional newsletters and Bluesky. Over time, this could become routine practice for researchers when deciding what event to attend. Organisers would get free advertising for their event and the focus on sustainability would promote their event further. Initially, this initiative could be trialled on events organised by Journal of Cell Science (JCS) and its sister journals, but I would envision this platform being open to events organised across biological cellular science. This would put JCS at the forefront of sustainability and would promote JCS events as well as researchers’ work in the field. Of course, virtual events could also be inputted, having the least negative impact with travel. With this as a first step, we could roll this out to Company-wide events and use the Company as an example to help others with their sustainability goals.

The innovation in my idea lies in the fact that it addresses the need for both individuals and organisations to be involved in sustainability. This proposal is also strengthened by the fact that it aims to develop an interactive resource which could become a tool for the larger scientific community, rather than addressing sustainability in a single event. My idea aims to change our behaviour when planning an event and searching for a training course or conference. In-person events are important for us as a scientific community. Whilst online or hybrid platforms have made events more accessible and sustainable, as humans, sometimes we do need to meet up in person. So rather than completely removing in-person events, this tool would allow us as researchers to make sustainable choices, while also encouraging organisers to consider sustainability in their event planning. Sometimes it is necessary to take a transatlantic flight, but if researchers have the right tools and develop the habit of investigating different event options, they will become aware of this impact and might make more sustainable choices around event attendance.

Real change will necessitate not only individual contributions, but also the willingness of whole organisations to change the way they do things, including their approach to planning scientific events. My idea would bring sustainability into the individuals’ minds and encourage organisers to put on the most sustainable events.

Event organisers can pay companies to work with them to both accredit their events and provide consultancy on how they can deliver a more sustainable event. Highlighting these real changes to the customer is important. This online tool would provide one place where researchers can see how an event has made itself more sustainable. For this online platform, rather than requiring paid accreditation, which might be a cost barrier for smaller events, organisers would report on how their event aims to be sustainable. JCS has a big online presence in the field of cell biology and would be a good fit to develop and trial this idea as well as already having some of the tools necessary to develop this platform.

I am part of my institute’s sustainability committee. In this role and through conversations within the committee and with the larger local research community, I have found that having open discussions and providing feedback can help address shortcomings in sustainability. As much as we need organisations to make big changes, I think it is important to not discredit the work an individual can do. Bringing sustainability to the forefront of an individual’s mind will encourage them to make small changes in their life and work but also might encourage future activism within their own communities. Having a platform that benefits researchers looking to organise or attend an event which also champions sustainability is the future.