SPRITE+ held a workshop in March 2021 to identify ways to improve researcher awareness of issues related to “Trusted Research”, an umbrella term that includes issues related to:
At a strategic level, the government and Universities UK have issued guidance aimed at senior leaders in the Higher Education sector, and many UK universities are actively working on adapting and rolling out the guidance. Although there is government guidance for Principal Investigators (PIs) and research teams, awareness and uptake of this guidance is patchy.
The workshop explored the implications of current guidance for ‘coal face’ PIs and their teams, examining the barriers to awareness and implementation, and suggesting ways to improve the situation. 37 researchers from a range of career stages and research disciplines participated in a series of breakout discussions over three hours. The workshop featured context-setting short talks from Professor Sir Peter Gregson (VC of Cranfield University and Universities UK lead for Trusted Research), Professor Emma Barrett (Director SPRITE+), and Professor Anthony Finkelstein (Chief Scientific Advisor for National Security).
A summary of the findings from this workshop can be viewed here.