Imperial is committed to facilitating the flow of ideas, talent and innovation by collaborating and working with partners to tackle grand global challenges. In pursuit of this, Imperial enters into a multiplicity of contracts and agreements (“relationships”) across many centres of activity. The Relationships Policy establishes the process for escalating decisions on proposed or continuing relationships where risks have been identified.

The Policy aims to provide the following benefits:

  • The Policy empowers more decision making at a local business level, setting guidelines for decision-making and highlighting the sort of risks that might prompt escalation to a higher decision-making body.
  • The Policy establishes a single escalation process that will apply to all institutional relationships. 
  • A single, standardised set of due diligence pro forma supports the Policy, together with an automated Due Diligence Portal that will capture decision making to reduce duplication of effort across Imperial and maximise efficiency.
  • The Policy aligns with Research Security considerations.

Consideration of the financial, legal or reputational risks associated with a relationship proposal must take place before formally entering into a new relationship or extending an existing relationship.

The Relationships Policy applies to formalised institutional relationships where Imperial intends to, or will, agree a contract with a third party. The Policy is intended to remind all staff of the need to consider the relationships they form, and to be alert to the financial, legal and reputational risks associated; highlight the key considerations through which staff should assess the proposed relationship and decide whether it is appropriate to escalate the decision; and explain how the due diligence, risk assessment and escalation processes should work.

Examples of relationships with third parties that would require approval through the Relationships Policy include:

  1. Academic collaborations formalised through contractual arrangements;
  2. Receipt of philanthropic income and other gifts;
  3. Receipt of research funding and related relationship agreements;
  4. Receipt of other income, for example, Academic Services or Enterprise collaborations formalised through contractual arrangements; and
  5. Those non-income generating relationships that are assessed as potentially giving rise to reputational risk to Imperial.

The Relationships Policy was approved by Council in July 2024.

Relationships Policy [PDF]