What is Trusted Research?

About Trusted Research

Our University’s core purpose is to enable and deliver world-class research, innovation and education. We collaborate with our peers across the world and know that international collaboration is a positive factor in ensuring our research outputs reach a wide audience. Around 50% of our submitted outputs in the last Research Excellence Framework were produced with international collaborators.  

Trusted Research aims to ensure that both the University and you, as an individual, operate within the relevant legal frameworks. It focuses on identifying and mitigating risks that can arise from our research collaborations.

Trusted Research is not about limiting collaboration, but rather about enabling it to happen securely and with confidence. It's about being aware of potential risks and taking proportionate steps to manage them. This is the principle that underpins the guidance and support you will find on our University’s Trusted research hub.

Why Trusted Research is important

The importance of Trusted Research lies in its ability to protect the UK's vibrant and open research and innovation ecosystem. It is crucial for:

• Protecting national security: Safeguarding sensitive technologies and knowledge from being used for purposes that could threaten national security.
• Maintaining research integrity: Ensuring that research is free from undue influence or manipulation, and that its findings are honest and transparent.
• Preserving IP and economic value: Protecting valuable intellectual property, which is vital for the UK's economic prosperity.
• Safeguarding reputations: Protecting the reputations of individual researchers, universities, and the UK as a whole from the damage that can result from unethical or compromised collaborations.
• Enabling collaboration: Providing the necessary framework and confidence to engage in international collaborations, which are essential for advancing knowledge and addressing global challenges.

Your role in Trusted Research

Your role in Trusted Research is to be a vigilant and responsible participant in the research process. While institutional support and guidance is critical, individuals have a responsibility to:

• Be aware and informed: Familiarise yourself with the principles of Trusted Research and any specific guidance provided.
• Take care: Understand who your research partners are, what their interests are, and how they intend to use the research and raise any concerns with the appropriate institutional contacts.
• Protect data and IP: Take active steps to protect your research data, sensitive information, and intellectual property from unauthorised access, both physically and digitally.
• Comply with regulations: Ensure that your research activities, particularly those involving international partners or sensitive technologies, comply with all relevant legal and regulatory frameworks.
• Be transparent: Disclose all collaborations, funding, and potential conflicts of interest to the University.

Further guidance on Trusted Research for Academia is available on the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) website.