What counts as Research?
Universities are required to ensure only appropriate activity is classified as research and are governed by statutory reporting requirements and legislation. Imperial is an exempt charity by virtue of the Exempt Charities Order 1962 and Schedule 3 to the Charities Act 2011. As such, it must comply with the principles of charity law, and must fulfil certain criteria in order for its research activity to be classed as charitable and for such activity to remain tax exempt. Universities must also adhere to Financial Reporting Standards (FRS102) for accounting purposes.
Our What counts as Research? page describes the definitions of research and how research funding is classified.
Research policies and guidance
This section provides guidance on research policies at Imperial, Imperial standards and codes of practice and how activities might be restricted by legislation, such as Export Controls and the National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSI).