Due diligence
Our university uses a robust due diligence framework to ensure research and collaboration opportunities are considered carefully and responsibly. This framework helps us make informed decisions by taking into account ethical, legal, financial, and national security factors.
Our commitment
Due diligence is an important part of our commitment to:
- Trusted Research – protecting people, knowledge, and partnerships.
- Export Control and National Security compliance – ensuring projects meet UK regulations.
- Responsible collaboration – supporting research integrity and safeguarding reputation.
In practice, we:
- Carry out checks on new collaborators when agreements are drafted.
- Review collaborators on a periodic basis, or sooner if risks emerge.
- Apply a project-specific approach, considering the nature of the work, the organisations involved, and any regulatory requirements.
- Comply with legal frameworks including sanctions, export controls and National Security and Investment (NSI Act).
Some collaborators, such as publicly funded universities, government bodies, and charities in some countries, are exempt from full due diligence checks. Where risks are identified, projects are reviewed at the appropriate level of the University, ensuring balanced, evidence-based decision-making.
If you would like to know more about our due diligence framework, please contact the Due Diligence team (duediligence@sheffield.ac.uk).