Research Collaboration Advice Team: 2026 update
Published 20 March 2026
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This update provides an overview of the development and initial impact of the Research Collaboration Advice Team (RCAT) since the launch of its advisory service in March 2022.
1. The aims of the RCAT
The RCAT was established in 2021 to meet the demand in the academic research sector for clear advice from government on the changing research security landscape. The RCAT has 3 strategic priorities:
1. Providing a trusted advice service to the research sector to address specific national security concerns in international research collaborations, particularly in the context of the regulations that need to be applied to specific activities and partnerships.
2. Helping institutions with the development of a step change in research culture, working with institutions as they build a better understanding and application of Trusted Research.
3. Gathering and sharing information about the range of issues research institutions are handling to provide a much more nuanced understanding of the space for sector and government.
2. The RCAT’s progress
Since March 2022, RCAT advisers have engaged over 155 research institutions. RCAT’s advisers build confidential and ongoing dialogue with research offices within institutions.
The RCAT consists of 19 staff with 13 advisers based in Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, and Salford.
The RCAT has established strong working relationships with key government departments and teams. These relationships are crucial to the RCAT’s aim to link together cross-government advice for the academic sector.
The RCAT conducted a survey of institutions with existing RCAT engagement in the summer of 2025, building on a similar survey in 2023. The survey showed that self-reported sector maturity has improved since 2023 with increases in sector confidence and development of formalised policies.
The RCAT has been generally well received by the sector, and there are plans to develop the service further.
3. What we are learning
RCAT advisers have carried out over 3800 engagements with institutions across the UK, including the management of over 500 cases. The 5 most common issues around which advice was given were:
- Export Control
- Specific Queries
- Other
- Governance and Policies
- National Security and Investment (NSI) Act
The RCAT is developing a much clearer picture of the nature of the specific threats, hostile approaches and existing exposures UK research faces:
1. The RCAT has also worked with universities to provide advice on specific, detailed cases, where tailored advice was required. The majority of these cases were raised by university contacts.
2. Research topics on which RCAT provides the most advice include:
- advanced materials
- artificial intelligence
- communications
- synthetic biology
- advanced robotics
- quantum technology
3. RCAT has provided tailored advice and mitigations to queries about specific collaborations that have allowed research institutions to make informed decisions about the risks. In 2023 RCAT conducted a survey with research institutions to explore self-assessed confidence in managing research security. This survey was repeated in 2025, and we have used the results to focus our services based on where we noted changes in the data.