Sustainable Development & Social Responsibility
Sustainable Development
The ITM is fully committed to environmental preservation and sustainable development. A reference person was nominated, and a dedicated working group was created.
With the help of the “Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility Mission” (SDSR) of Unistra and the “Network for Environmental and Societal Transition” from Inserm, the ITM has implemented several initiatives to reduce our environmental impact, including:
- The ongoing development of a purchasing charter that aims to minimize waste and prioritize greener alternatives where possible (e.g. recycled goods, eco-friendly cleaning products);
- Implementing good practices on waste reduction and waste recycling;
- Promoting virtuous mobility for daily commutes and for missions, as well as the reduction of travels by encouraging remote working and organizing meetings online;
- Implementing energy saving actions, in particular with regard to the maintenance of equipment (e.g. freezers) and replacement of lamps in the building by LEDs;
- Communicating and spreading awareness about environmental issues in the unit, with the organization of eco-solidarity challenges.
A recent example of action undertaken:
With the financial support of the University of Strasbourg (through a project call funded by the DDRS mission), our unit has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of collecting and recycling polystyrene boxes in 2023. Following the success of this project, we are repeating this initiative in 2024, with the involvement of more laboratories from the University. Our objective is to pave the way towards the implementation of a standard procedure for the collection and recycling of polystyrene boxes at the scale of the University of Strasbourg, so this becomes included as a service in the University market.
Equality and Gender Balance
Over 50 people work within the ITM. We are committed to practicing a policy of equality and non-discrimination, promoting gender equality and diversity. We invest efforts and resources to create a balanced environment where recruiting and training the best leaders and scientists. In this context, an Equality reference person was elected within our Unit.
Our leadership committees have developed strategies to guarantee a fair hiring process, focusing on skills and experience, involving a diverse panel in the interview process that receives organizational training around unconscious and confirmation bias.
We are thoughtfully working to promote a gender-balanced representation at senior levels. The unit is working actively to identify top-level female applicants and try to reduce the gender gap in senior decision-making positions.
At ITM, we have a strong culture of supporting continuous education, training, and career development for all our team members. Career development is not only accessible but highly encouraged by the Directory Board of the institute. Our tenure track program within Inserm and the University of Strasbourg enables us to support our staff in securing permanent positions and retain talents within our institute.