Research Collaboration Advice Team: progress made from 2022 to 2023
Published 9 November 2023
© Crown copyright 2023
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-collaboration-advice-team-progress-made-from-2022-to-2023/research-collaboration-advice-team-progress-made-from-2022-to-2023
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 academia 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 130 research institutions. RCAT’s advisers build confidential and ongoing dialogue with research offices within institutions.
The team has been fully recruited and trained. The RCAT consists of 15 staff with 12 advisers (including the Head of the team) 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 has been generally well received by the sector, and there are plans to develop the service further. A recent RCAT survey of the sector received 90 respondents, and will be used to influence the development of the advice service. RCAT has also worked with the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) to improve the engagement work of the team that aims to support longer-term change in the sector.
3. What we are learning
RCAT advisers have provided over 350 pieces of advice on issues faced by institutions and research offices, including the management of over 100 complex cases. The 5 most common issues around which advice was given were:
- Export Control (32%)
- specific queries (23%)
- National Security and Investment (NSI) Act (18%)
- institutional governance and research security polices (15%)
- Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) (9%)
The RCAT are 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 the sector, showing the sector’s willingness to work with RCAT.
2. Topics of key concern in high-risk collaborations include:
- advanced materials
- artificial intelligence
- advanced robotics
- synthetic biology
- quantum technology
- space 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.