Time to Talk: Sanctions Compliance - VWV

Friday 25 November

Timings: 10-11am

VWV's partners are offering an informal video Q&A session to discuss any questions or comments arising from their note on how UK Sanctions affect higher education providers, which BUFDG recently circulated.

Restrictions on research collaborations and tech transfer for reasons of public policy have found their way into newspapers this year. The University of Manchester received the first blocking order under the National Security and Investment Act after voluntarily reporting a proposed transfer of vision-sensing technology to a Chinese company, and Imperial closed two aerospace research collaborations with Chinese companies (reportedly out of concern with export controls).

Sanctions, such as the recently expanded legislation against Russia, are broader than export controls and national security legislation - although the regimes often overlap in particular cases. They restrict not only tech transfer (in its widest sense, including teaching) to defined classes of people and entities, but also the handling of the money or other assets of specific individuals and entities. All higher education providers need to comply with financial sanctions, whereas it is generally those that teach STEM at master's level and above which need to comply with the tech transfer element of trade sanctions.

The UK has imposed sanctions against 28 countries, recrafting them to separate formally from the prior regime that was dominated by the EU.

The VWV panel stands ready to answer questions such as:

• Can face-to-face teaching in the UK ever violate sanctions?
• Under what circumstances must we determine whether a student or benefactor is a person designated under sanctions?
• Who bears the compliance burden - the institution, or teachers, or both?
• If all tech transfer is only institutions or individuals resident in member states of the EU, do we need to worry about anything?
• What is the "Restricted Technology" controlled by trade sanctions?
• As for non-UK graduate students studying STEM, can ATAS take the strain?
• Do we need a written policy on sanctions compliance?
• If there is a footfault, must we notify OfS or other national regulator/funding council)?

We hope to see you there!

The event is free to attend.

This event will be recorded, and the recording will be uploaded to our website after the event (usually within a week). Please check the Webinars page to find the recording.

 A link to join the meeting will be sent a little nearer the time.  If you have any queries in the meantime, please contact Matt Sisson.