The Faculty of Pharmacy educates future specialists in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sector with skills relevant to tackling sustainability challenges.
On the basis of research, environmental and sustainability perspectives have been systematically integrated into studies in pharmacy. The Generation Green initiative has actively spurred on the Faculty, resulting in the first Finnish-language textbook on the topic, entitled Lääkkeet ja ympäristö (‘Drugs and the environment’).
An online course in sustainability expertise related to health and the life sciences entitled Sustainable Health, available to students of the University of Helsinki as well as through the Open University and the Sustainability Studies Network, has also been designed under the direction of the Faculty of Pharmacy.
The Faculty of Pharmacy conducts ground-breaking research to promote sustainable development in the pharmaceutical sector. Its national projects examine, among other things, the digital transition in the sector and sustainable industrial-scale drug manufacturing methods (LifeFactFuture 2024–2026), sustainable drug development (SUDDEN 2018–2023) and the intensification of drug waste management at emission sources (EPIC 2016–2018).
The topics of international projects include the environmental risk assessment of pharmaceutical agents (H2020/PREMIER 2020–2026) and sustainable production, such as benign-by-design and life-cycle analysis models (Horizon/TransPharm 2022–2026). In addition, the development of teaching is examined from the sustainability perspective in international research (e.g., the ERASMUS+ project FPD-Include).
The Faculty of Pharmacy strives to promote the sustainability of the pharmaceutical sector through a comprehensive approach, in active collaboration with both the healthcare sector and key environmental operators. Stakeholder events focusing on sustainability challenges and solutions as well as sustainable development in the pharmaceutical sector are organised particularly within the SUDDEN Forum network.
The fund supports the University of Helsinki’s research, teaching and public engagement related to sustainable development in pharmacy.
The chemical burden caused by drug residues on the environment and antibiotic resistance pose specific challenges to both humanity and the environment’s capacity to withstand these negative effects. However, environmental damage can be effectively mitigated in all stages of the manufacturing and life cycles of pharmaceutical products.
Through its integration of pharmacy and environmental expertise, the Faculty of Pharmacy has been a pioneer in this area. Its students attain solid practical expertise in pharmacy combined with top-level research and advanced understanding in sustainable development.
When you donate to a professorship, you help support the pioneering nature of an important research field or the creation of an entirely new one.
A thank you to our donors and collaboration partners!