diff --git a/ompi/mca/osc/ucx/osc_ucx.h b/ompi/mca/osc/ucx/osc_ucx.h
index c245aa25ce..095de34c27 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/osc/ucx/osc_ucx.h
+++ b/ompi/mca/osc/ucx/osc_ucx.h
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ typedef struct ompi_osc_ucx_component {
     ucp_worker_h ucp_worker;
     bool enable_mpi_threads;
     opal_free_list_t requests; /* request free list for the r* communication variants */
+    bool env_initialized; /* UCX environment is initialized or not */
     int num_incomplete_req_ops;
     unsigned int priority;
 } ompi_osc_ucx_component_t;
diff --git a/ompi/mca/osc/ucx/osc_ucx_component.c b/ompi/mca/osc/ucx/osc_ucx_component.c
index cf25cef57d..dc6c5f2e44 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/osc/ucx/osc_ucx_component.c
+++ b/ompi/mca/osc/ucx/osc_ucx_component.c
@@ -113,64 +113,16 @@ static int progress_callback(void) {
 }
 
 static int component_init(bool enable_progress_threads, bool enable_mpi_threads) {
-    ucp_config_t *config = NULL;
-    ucp_params_t context_params;
-    bool requests_created = false;
     int ret = OMPI_SUCCESS;
-    ucs_status_t status;
 
     mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_context = NULL;
     mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_worker = NULL;
     mca_osc_ucx_component.enable_mpi_threads = enable_mpi_threads;
-
-    status = ucp_config_read("MPI", NULL, &config);
-    if (UCS_OK != status) {
-        OSC_UCX_VERBOSE(1, "ucp_config_read failed: %d", status);
-        return OMPI_ERROR;
-    }
-
-    OBJ_CONSTRUCT(&mca_osc_ucx_component.requests, opal_free_list_t);
-    requests_created = true;
-    ret = opal_free_list_init (&mca_osc_ucx_component.requests,
-                               sizeof(ompi_osc_ucx_request_t),
-                               opal_cache_line_size,
-                               OBJ_CLASS(ompi_osc_ucx_request_t),
-                               0, 0, 8, 0, 8, NULL, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL);
-    if (OMPI_SUCCESS != ret) {
-        OSC_UCX_VERBOSE(1, "opal_free_list_init failed: %d", ret);
-        goto error;
-    }
-
+    mca_osc_ucx_component.env_initialized = false;
     mca_osc_ucx_component.num_incomplete_req_ops = 0;
 
-    /* initialize UCP context */
-
-    memset(&context_params, 0, sizeof(context_params));
-    context_params.field_mask = UCP_PARAM_FIELD_FEATURES |
-                                UCP_PARAM_FIELD_MT_WORKERS_SHARED |
-                                UCP_PARAM_FIELD_ESTIMATED_NUM_EPS |
-                                UCP_PARAM_FIELD_REQUEST_INIT |
-                                UCP_PARAM_FIELD_REQUEST_SIZE;
-    context_params.features = UCP_FEATURE_RMA | UCP_FEATURE_AMO32 | UCP_FEATURE_AMO64;
-    context_params.mt_workers_shared = 0;
-    context_params.estimated_num_eps = ompi_proc_world_size();
-    context_params.request_init = internal_req_init;
-    context_params.request_size = sizeof(ompi_osc_ucx_internal_request_t);
-
-    status = ucp_init(&context_params, config, &mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_context);
-    ucp_config_release(config);
-    if (UCS_OK != status) {
-        OSC_UCX_VERBOSE(1, "ucp_init failed: %d", status);
-        ret = OMPI_ERROR;
-        goto error;
-    }
-
     opal_common_ucx_mca_register();
     return ret;
- error:
-    if (requests_created) OBJ_DESTRUCT(&mca_osc_ucx_component.requests);
-    if (mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_context) ucp_cleanup(mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_context);
-    return ret;
 }
 
 static int component_finalize(void) {
@@ -187,9 +139,12 @@ static int component_finalize(void) {
     }
 
     assert(mca_osc_ucx_component.num_incomplete_req_ops == 0);
-    OBJ_DESTRUCT(&mca_osc_ucx_component.requests);
-    opal_progress_unregister(progress_callback);
-    ucp_cleanup(mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_context);
+    if (mca_osc_ucx_component.env_initialized == true) {
+        OBJ_DESTRUCT(&mca_osc_ucx_component.requests);
+        opal_progress_unregister(progress_callback);
+        ucp_cleanup(mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_context);
+        mca_osc_ucx_component.env_initialized = false;
+    }
     opal_common_ucx_mca_deregister();
     return OMPI_SUCCESS;
 }
@@ -296,7 +251,7 @@ static int component_select(struct ompi_win_t *win, void **base, size_t size, in
     ucs_status_t status;
     int i, comm_size = ompi_comm_size(comm);
     int is_eps_ready;
-    bool progress_registered = false, eps_created = false, worker_created = false;
+    bool progress_registered = false, eps_created = false, env_initialized = false;
     ucp_address_t *my_addr = NULL;
     size_t my_addr_len;
     char *recv_buf = NULL;
@@ -315,11 +270,52 @@ static int component_select(struct ompi_win_t *win, void **base, size_t size, in
         return OMPI_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED;
     }
 
-    /* if UCP worker has never been initialized before, init it first */
-    if (mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_worker == NULL) {
+    if (mca_osc_ucx_component.env_initialized == false) {
+        ucp_config_t *config = NULL;
+        ucp_params_t context_params;
         ucp_worker_params_t worker_params;
         ucp_worker_attr_t worker_attr;
 
+        status = ucp_config_read("MPI", NULL, &config);
+        if (UCS_OK != status) {
+            OSC_UCX_VERBOSE(1, "ucp_config_read failed: %d", status);
+            return OMPI_ERROR;
+        }
+
+        OBJ_CONSTRUCT(&mca_osc_ucx_component.requests, opal_free_list_t);
+        ret = opal_free_list_init (&mca_osc_ucx_component.requests,
+                                   sizeof(ompi_osc_ucx_request_t),
+                                   opal_cache_line_size,
+                                   OBJ_CLASS(ompi_osc_ucx_request_t),
+                                   0, 0, 8, 0, 8, NULL, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL);
+        if (OMPI_SUCCESS != ret) {
+            OSC_UCX_VERBOSE(1, "opal_free_list_init failed: %d", ret);
+            goto error;
+        }
+
+        /* initialize UCP context */
+
+        memset(&context_params, 0, sizeof(context_params));
+        context_params.field_mask = UCP_PARAM_FIELD_FEATURES |
+                                    UCP_PARAM_FIELD_MT_WORKERS_SHARED |
+                                    UCP_PARAM_FIELD_ESTIMATED_NUM_EPS |
+                                    UCP_PARAM_FIELD_REQUEST_INIT |
+                                    UCP_PARAM_FIELD_REQUEST_SIZE;
+        context_params.features = UCP_FEATURE_RMA | UCP_FEATURE_AMO32 | UCP_FEATURE_AMO64;
+        context_params.mt_workers_shared = 0;
+        context_params.estimated_num_eps = ompi_proc_world_size();
+        context_params.request_init = internal_req_init;
+        context_params.request_size = sizeof(ompi_osc_ucx_internal_request_t);
+
+        status = ucp_init(&context_params, config, &mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_context);
+        ucp_config_release(config);
+        if (UCS_OK != status) {
+            OSC_UCX_VERBOSE(1, "ucp_init failed: %d", status);
+            ret = OMPI_ERROR;
+            goto error;
+        }
+
+        assert(mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_worker == NULL);
         memset(&worker_params, 0, sizeof(worker_params));
         worker_params.field_mask = UCP_WORKER_PARAM_FIELD_THREAD_MODE;
         worker_params.thread_mode = (mca_osc_ucx_component.enable_mpi_threads == true)
@@ -355,7 +351,8 @@ static int component_select(struct ompi_win_t *win, void **base, size_t size, in
             goto error_nomem;
         }
 
-        worker_created = true;
+        mca_osc_ucx_component.env_initialized = true;
+        env_initialized = true;
     }
 
     /* create module structure */
@@ -650,7 +647,12 @@ static int component_select(struct ompi_win_t *win, void **base, size_t size, in
     if (module) free(module);
 
 error_nomem:
-    if (worker_created) ucp_worker_destroy(mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_worker);
+    if (env_initialized == true) {
+        OBJ_DESTRUCT(&mca_osc_ucx_component.requests);
+        ucp_worker_destroy(mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_worker);
+        ucp_cleanup(mca_osc_ucx_component.ucp_context);
+        mca_osc_ucx_component.env_initialized = false;
+    }
     return ret;
 }