‘Trusted Research’ is a framework of guidance and advice from the UK Government which focuses on protecting the UK’s intellectual property.

It helps identify potential risks to research, which may arise from international collaborations and partnerships. It also provides guidance on reducing these risks. This includes protecting sensitive research, people and infrastructure from potential theft, manipulation and exploitation – including instances of interference by hostile actors.

The framework was developed by the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

The guidance has been developed to help individual researchers and host institutions. It serves to identify and manage legal and national security risks from research activity that involves international collaboration. 

Hostile states are increasingly targeting academic research and innovation activity in the UK. The Trusted Research guidance seeks to mitigate this risk. It also seeks to help researchers comply with the law while minimising the impact on the open, collaborative and cross-border nature of academic research.  

In the UK, Open Research thrives on transparency and trust. Trusted Research is underpinned by several acts of legislation which King’s research activities are bound to comply with. Such legislation includes:

National Security and Investment Act (2021)

This was passed to increase national security, and gives the Government powers to scrutinise and potentially block international transactions which are deemed to pose a security risk. International academic research collaborations (involving key areas of the economy) can potentially fall within the purview of this Act.

Researchers should check the export control lists and the NSI sector lists. Tools such as the Goods Checker Tool are available to help establish if specific items are controlled (for export). If the research falls under one of these sectors or the control list then it is more likely that there will be national security considerations. If the work does not fall into one of these categories it does not mean that there are no national security issues. Researchers must also carry out due diligence in relation to their collaborators / partners / funder. Remember – collaborator/ partner /funder risk overrides subject risk (i.e. if there are security concerns about a collaborator / partner / funder, then the subject matter of the research is largely irrelevant). 

Export Controls

The UK's Export Control Order 2008 (ECO 2008) is the primary law controlling sensitive exports such as military and dual-use items, providing the framework for export licensing of goods, software, and technology. Through this and other related regulations, it establishes controls to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, torture or capital punishment. Penalties for breaches include fines or imprisonment. Key controls cover military goods (Schedule 2), dual-use items (Schedule 3), technical assistance, and end-use controls (like WMDs), managed by the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU).

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

Designed to ensure that international students and post-docs in UK universities who are researching in sensitive subject areas do not inadvertently contribute to the development of weapons of mass destruction, or advanced military technologies in hostile nation states.

General Data Protection Regulation (2021)

Enacted to protect personal data and privacy of UK citizens.

King's College London has adopted the NPSA’s and NCSC’s Trusted Research Evaluation Framework. University-level decisions related to the Trusted Research agenda and the UK government framework have oversight from the Trusted Research Committee. This committee addresses cases involving export controls and the National Security and Investment Act, when necessary.

The committee is chaired by Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi CBE FREng FRS, Vice President (Research & Innovation). Members include academic and professional services staff with expertise in areas such as cyber security, export control, research compliance, and geopolitical matters. The panel carefully considers financial, legal, and reputational risks to both the University and individual researchers in its decision-making process.

The work of the Trusted Research Committee is supported by the Trusted Research Working Group.

A support model has been developed to provide the King’s community with timely guidance around Trusted Research. Additional information is available for staff and students at King's on the Trusted Research Intranet page.

In line with guidance published by the NPSA, there are named senior individuals with overall responsibility for Trusted Research at King’s.

• Executive with responsibility for research security risk: Mr Jeremy Cook OBE
• Academic Lead for Trusted Research: Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi

The National Protective Security Authority have published a range of useful resources to support academia in navigating international collaborations.  This includes guidance on:

• Trusted Research Guidance for Academia
• Trusted Research Countries and Conferences Guidance
• Implementation Scenario Videos

For further queries on Trusted Research at King's, please contact RMID-Help@kcl.ac.uk