The environmental record of universities will be scrutinised in a two-year project led by the University of Bradford.
Project director Peter Hopkinson, senior lecturer in environmental management, said the project would compare the energy and water consumption of different types of buildings, such as libraries and laboratories, across the sector. Collaborators include Leeds Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England has awarded the project £96,000.