Trusted Research is particularly relevant to staff and students working in:

• STEM subjects
• Dual-use technologies
• Emerging technologies and/or
• Commercially sensitive research areas.

The principles of Trusted Research apply equally to formal and informal collaborations, funded and non-funded partnerships. 

In Summary Trusted Research

• Outlines the potential risks to UK research and innovation
• Assists researchers, UK universities and industry partners to have confidence in international collaboration and make informed decisions around potential risks.
• Explains how to protect research and staff from potential theft, misuse or exploitation.

National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) have created a specific guidance for academia in relation to Trusted Research. This guidance can be accessed via this link.  To protect your research/international partnerships you must consider the following:

Know your Partner

Undertaking due diligence on potential partners is critical to identifying potential risks and making an informed decision based on this knowledge.  Due diligence activities undertaken should include: 

• Review of UK and international sanctions lists (e.g. EU and US)
• Review of adverse media
• Reviewing partner’s online presence, including social media (This may provide information on beneficial ownership, current and past collaborators and current/past projects/outputs)

Questions that you should assess during your due diligence review include:

• Is your partner affiliated with any foreign military/intelligence/defence services?
• Does the potential collaboration/activity involve any conflict of interest? (E.g. Any existing contracts and/or relationships which could restrict your potential activities.)
• Could the partner be vulnerable to coercion by third parties? (Be aware of the local jurisdiction that your partner operates within.)
• Did you discover anything during your due diligence that does not align with what your partner has communicated to you?

Know Your Research

To make informed decisions, including implementation of mitigations where necessary, it is fundamental that the researcher critically assesses their research by considering the questions below.

• Are there any potential military or dual-use applications for your research?
• Are there any potential unethical applications for your research?
• Have you considered data access control measures?
• Have you considered IP protection for your research?

To assist in consideration of data access, the below points may be helpful.

• Is research data segregated? i.e. there is appropriate separation between research programmes/projects, both physically and online.
• Is access given to only those that have a valid reason to access the data?
• Are access logs and unsuccessful access attempts monitored? e.g. Is data being accessed at unusual times?
• If sharing information with your partners, are their systems suitably robust and secure to ensure protection of your data?

Further information and advice on cyber security can be obtained from the University’s Cyber Security department.

Know Your Legislation

It is important to ensure that you are aware of your legal requirements. 

This awareness of legal obligations may include consideration of: 

• Export Controls (UK and international)
• Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
• Data Protection/GDPR
• National Security & Investment Act
• Sanctions
• Compliance in foreign jurisdictions (i.e. with the legislation of your partners’ countries.

Failure to Consider Trusted Research Agenda

Failure to consider this important government led agenda can result in potential risk to the following:

• People: staff, students and researchers (Potential reputation and legal damages).
• Compromise/theft of research data including pre-publication and proprietary
• Protection of source code, prototypes, technical plans etc.
• Unauthorised network access
• Uncontrolled access to laboratory equipment and software
• Access to confidential information/documents
• Financial loss to individual researchers and institutions
• Reputation of individuals and institutions.
• Criminal prosecutions (individual and/or institutional)