Research Data Governance

Research involving obtaining data from people requires researchers to maintain high ethical standards. This includes considerations such as data protection legislation and obtaining informed consent from research participants. 

Good data management in research is essential to ensure that research outputs are stored securely beyond the life of the project and are shared responsibly with others, increasing transparency of research and reproducibility. Increasingly, journals and funding bodies require data to be made publicly available, requiring further consideration of data protection and sensitive data management.

The University provides extensive support on all aspect of data governance through the Research Data Service and Data Protection Office:

Research Data Service

Information Services: Data Training and Support

Data Protection

Guidance for Data protection impact assessments (DPIAs)

Please refer to Edinburgh Research Office and Information Services for detailed guidance on Research data Management Policies.

For enquiries about data protection please contact Data Protection Officer, Dr Rena Gertz.

Trusted Research

Trusted Research is official Government guidance for the UK research sector. It was developed in consultation with academia and jointly published by the Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Changes in the global geopolitical climate over recent years have resulted in an increased focus among universities, funders and government on the risks that researchers can be exposed to when sharing their work with partners overseas. 

There has been a growing awareness that some countries with whom we have close economic and academic links have political and ethical values that differ significantly from our own.  Some of these nations have strategic outlooks that frame them as rivals, or even adversaries, of the UK.  In practice, those different ethical values can mean that hostile state actors target researchers in the UK.  Stolen personal data, research data or intellectual property can all be used by foreign governments or militaries to further their own economic, military or strategic interests.

A consequence of this shifting environment is that there is greater government scrutiny of arrangements that involve sharing potentially sensitive or valuable goods, software and technology with partners overseas.  This includes international research collaborations.  Legislation like the National Security and Investment Act, or legal frameworks like export control and sanctions regimes can impose compliance requirements on research collaborations, with criminal penalties for those who break the rules.  Note that “goods” includes intangible intellectual property such as algorithms or protocols.

Advice, guidance and resources provided by government, HE sectoral bodies and the University of Edinburgh can help you to understand the risks, keep your work safe and stay on the right side of the law.

Export Control 

UK export control refers to a set of legal restrictions on the transfer of certain goods, technology, software and knowledge from the United Kingdom to a destination or destinations outside the UK. Export controls are designed to restrict the export and communication of sensitive technology or strategic goods, with the aim of preventing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferation and countering international threats such as terrorism. The controls apply to the academic community (including researchers at the University of Edinburgh) in the same way as any organisation.

Export could include the physical movement of goods or the transfer of software, data, technology or know how by any means (including verbal or electronic transfer). Export of controlled items can occur in a variety of activities such as academic and commercial collaborations, teaching, consultancy and licensing activities and even travelling to a third country overseas with a laptop which contains controlled items.

Guidance on export control legislation and relevant policies, information about who is responsible for complying with export control legislation, and how to apply for an export licence can be found by reviewing the Export Control webpages of the Edinburgh Research Office using the link below.

Edinburgh Research Office