Export controls aim to limit the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and counter international threats. UK export controls apply to universities specifically with regards to the transfer of technology, material, equipment or know-how from a university to an overseas organisation, and encompassing verbal, physical and electronic. Key risk disciplines include (but are not limited to) Aeronautical and Space Technology, Nuclear Technologies, Biotechnology, and Telecommunications and Information Technology.
When proposing a new programme, please consider the following questions:
Question 1: Do any of the modules taught within this programme cover any of the topics listed in the Activities Subject to Export Controls, beyond 'basic scientific research', which potentially could be used for military applications or the production of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs)?
('Basic scientific research' is defined as is defined as 'experimental or theoretical work undertaken principally to acquire knowledge of the fundamental principles or phenomena or observable facts and not primarily directed towards a specific practical aim or objective').
Question 2: Where a module or programme does cover any of the topics listed in the Activities Subject to Export Controls, is there any instance in which the content of the module or programme relies on unpublished research findings, or is all of the content in the public domain, i.e. it is already available without restriction upon further dissemination (with the exception of copyright restrictions)?
Question 3: Where there is any use of unpublished research, would the findings of said research be required and necessary for the use, development, or production of any items that had military applications or for the production of WMDs? (In this instance, required and necessary means that without the information/knowledge the end point could not be reached).
If the answer to any of these answers is 'yes', please refer to the webpages below for further guidance and/or contact export-control@contacts.bham.ac.uk.