Data protection
HRCS Online, UKCRC and the MRC
This website and its contents are managed on behalf of the UKCRC by the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). As such it is subject to the same regulations regarding data protection and freedom of information requests as any other MRC-managed website.
Please note that data submitted by participating organisations as part of the UK Health Research Analysis series are handled slightly differently. Participating organisations remain the owners of their own data. Note that the public datasets produced for these analyses are freely available via our Analysis Data pages.
Requesting information from the MRC
We aim to be as open as possible in informing others how we conduct our business through our publications, our website and face-to-face discussions. Our Guide to Information outlines the information we routinely publish and provides links to help you locate it.
We are committed to openness, transparency good record-keeping and effective communication in our handling of requests for information. All information will be made freely available unless there is a good reason not to do so, in line with relevant exemptions. The UK Research and Innovation and MRC websites and those of Research Institutes are developed with this goal in mind.
- The Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 give you specific rights to obtain information about what we do and how we do
- The Data Protection Act (2018) gives you the right to see personal information we hold about you
To make a request under the Freedom of Information Act or Environmental Information Regulations
We aim to make information widely available primarily through our publications, our website and through communications with our staff. The Publication Scheme for UK Research and Innovation and the MRC Guide to Information (PDF, 107KB) will help you locate and access our information. You can also check our Freedom of Information disclosure log where we publish responses to the requests we receive, see the MRC’s disclosure log for requests made up to 31 March 2018 and the UK Research and Innovation log for requests after 1 April 2018. If you are interested in information on the research we support, this can be found in Gateway to Research.
If the information you are interested in cannot be accessed through our websites you can make a request in writing. To help us to locate the information please outline your request as clearly as possible, providing any relevant dates, organisations or names, and tell us if you would like to receive the information, either in hard copy or in electronic format.
We aim to provide as much information as possible free of charge although we reserve the right to charge fees in accordance the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulation 2004.
Please email or write to us:
Freedom of Information Officer
UK Research and Innovation
Polaris House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1FL
Email: foi@ukri.org
To make a request for your own personal data under the Data Protection Act
To help us to locate the information please outline your request as clearly as possible, providing any relevant dates, organisations or names, and tell us if you would like to receive the information, either in hard copy or in electronic format. Please email or write to us:
Data Protection Officer
UK Research and Innovation
Polaris House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1FL
Email: dataprotection@ukri.org
General enquiries
If you have a general enquiry about the work of the MRC then you can email us at corporate@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk.
Records management
As a public records body UK Research and Innovation recognises records management as an essential corporate function to support effectiveness and public accountability.
For further information, see the UKRI Records Management Policy (PDF, 355KB).
UKRI records are defined as information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information by UKRI or its employees, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business. UKRI, as the new legal entity, is a Public Records Body under the Public Records Act 1958
Appeal against non-disclosure
If you have made a request to us and you are not satisfied with the way we dealt with it, you may appeal in the first instance to the UK Research and Innovation Complaints Officer:
Complaints Officer
UK Research and Innovation
Polaris House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1FL
foi@ukri.org
Please write to us giving as much detail as you can about your complaint. We will acknowledge your letter immediately and tell you how long we will take to deal with it. We will then investigate your complaint fully and fairly and send you a swift and complete response. We will also consider your complaint when reviewing how we can improve our services.
If you are not satisfied with the Complaints Officer’s response you may contact the Information Commissioner for a decision:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
Details of how to take your complaint further can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.