UK Research Integrity Office

What UK Research Integrity Office does

UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) is an independent registered charity (Charity No: 1147061) founded in 2006 and headquartered in London, providing confidential advice, training, and guidance on research integrity to the UK research community. Its services are delivered to three primary audiences: research-performing organisations (universities, research institutes, and funders), individual researchers and research students, and members of the public seeking advice on research conduct. UKRIO operates a hybrid model where individual advisory services are provided free of charge, while institutional subscriptions fund long-term support, bespoke services, and access to training.

UKRIO's core product portfolio includes the confidential Advisory Service; an online training platform delivered via SCORM Cloud with LMS integration (used by nearly 9,000 professionals across 100+ organisations); and a library of guidance documents including the Self-Assessment Tool for the Concordat to Support Research Integrity, the Code of Practice for Research, the Detailed Template Procedure for Investigating Breaches, the Authorship Integrity Toolkit, and the 'Embracing AI with Integrity' guidance. Technology is operational rather than proprietary: Microsoft SharePoint for document management, Stripe for payments, MailChimp for newsletters, Zoom for webinars, and SurveyMonkey for feedback, with Datto providing endpoint security.

Revenue comes primarily from annual institutional subscriptions, supplemented by free advisory services that act as a top-of-funnel for institutional membership, plus events and training delivered to subscribers. UKRIO is governed by a Board of Trustees, supported by an Expert Community of more than 35 volunteers, and aligned with the national Concordat to Support Research Integrity — a framework required by many UK research funders.

Name

UK Research Integrity Office

Legal name

UK Research Integrity Office

Website

https://ukrio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UKRIO is an independent UK charity providing confidential advice, online training, and guidance documents on research integrity to universities, research institutes, individual researchers, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Integrity Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Educational Support Services (61171), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADAGAN

Research Compliance & Ethics Audits (Academic Institutions)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Quality Assurance, Compliance & Audit

SECONDARYEDADAKAH

Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Institutional Governance & Administration (School/College/University Admin)

SECONDARYBPAHAFAI

Ethics, Integrity & Whistleblowing Program Advisory

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Risk, Compliance & Governance Advisory

SECONDARYEDADAGAM

Online & Distance Education Quality Assurance Reviews

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Quality Assurance, Compliance & Audit

SECONDARYHLAJACAG

Clinical Research Ethics & Human Subjects Protection Authorities (IRB/REC Oversight)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Policy, Regulation & Compliance Authorities

Keywords

• Research integrity advisory
• Research ethics training
• Research misconduct investigation
• Concordat compliance support
• Research governance guidance

Headquarters

HQ city

Croydon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional Subscriptions: UKRIO operates primarily through institutional subscription memberships. Research organisations subscribe to receive long-term support, bespoke services, access to training courses, guidance documents, and the confidential advisory service.
2. Individual Advisory Services: Free confidential advisory service provided to individuals including members of the public, research participants, patients, individual researchers, research students. This drives adoption and trust leading to institutional subscriptions.
3. Events and Training: Training courses and events provided to subscribers as part of membership. Annual symposium offered free to public and subscribers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UKRIO provides confidential, impartial advisory services on research integrity, research ethics, and research misconduct to individuals and research organisations. Its core offerings include the free Advisory Service, online training courses (Introduction to Research Integrity and the ethics of research involving human participants), and a portfolio of guidance documents and self-assessment tools aligned with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity. Institutional subscribers receive long-term support, bespoke services, training access, and the confidential advisory service.

Product overview

UKRIO is a registered charity providing independent, impartial support on research integrity to the UK research community. The organisation offers a portfolio of advisory services and publications including: the confidential Advisory Service providing free advice on research conduct and misconduct allegations; online training courses (Introduction to Research Integrity, Research Ethics training suite); guidance documents (Embracing AI with integrity, Research integrity champions guidance); self-assessment tools aligned with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity; and template procedures for investigating breaches of research integrity. UKRIO's offerings serve research organisations, individual researchers, ethics committees, and research managers across disciplines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advisory Service Confidential, impartial advisory service providing free advice on research integrity, research ethics, research culture, and publication ethics to individuals, and no-charge initial contact for organisations. Covers research practice, allegations of misconduct, and related issues with UK connections.
• Introduction to Research Integrity (online training course) Four-module online training course providing foundational understanding of research integrity principles and practical guidance for everyday research practices. Covers principles, UK governance frameworks, research integrity in practice, and fostering research culture. Delivered via SCORM Cloud with LMS integration.
• The Ethics of Research Involving Human Participants (training suite) Online training suite developed in partnership with the University of Suffolk providing practical interactive guidance on ethical challenges when working with human participants. Includes three standalone courses: introduction, navigating emotionally challenging research, and research with children and young people.
• Investigating Breaches of Research Integrity Training In-depth train-the-trainer programme for those involved in investigating potential breaches of research integrity, including research integrity officers and investigation panel members. Developed with cross-sector working group input.
• Self-Assessment Tool for the Concordat to Support Research Integrity Practical and strategic resource (Version 3.0) helping research organisations align policies, systems, and culture with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity. Enables assessment against Concordat commitments, identifies gaps, and supports continuous improvement. Aligned with the 2025 Concordat refresh.
• Embracing AI with Integrity Practical guidance document helping researchers navigate research integrity challenges posed by AI. Covers five core areas: breaching laws and regulations, ethical considerations, protecting the research record, research dissemination, and creativity and critical thinking.
• Detailed Template Procedure for Investigating Breaches of Research Integrity Clear, adaptable framework for responding to concerns about research integrity and allegations of misconduct. Supports proportionate, fair, and robust processes from straightforward concerns to complex investigations requiring full inquiry. Includes investigation process template and flowchart.
• Research Integrity Champions, Leads, and Advisers (Version 2.0) Version 2.0 guidance helping organisations strengthen local leadership for research integrity through champions networks. Provides practical steps for setup, flexible models for organisational structures, and real-world case studies from UK organisations.
• Authorship Integrity Toolkit Tools to support researchers in upholding good authorship practice, providing practical resources for navigating authorship decisions and disputes.
• Research Ethics Support and Review in Research Organisations Joint publication with ARMA providing benchmark policies and processes for institutional research ethics committee functions. Synthesises developments in ethics and integrity academic work and funder/government expectations.
• UKRIO Publications (Code of Practice for Research, Checklists, Case Study Packs) Range of published guidance including Code of Practice for Research, Checklist for Researchers, Researcher Checklist of Ethics Applications, Checklist during COVID-19, and Case Study Packs, available for download from the UKRIO website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% would recommend the Introduction to research integrity course
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and infrastructure.

• University of SuffolkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Development partner for new suite of online training on 'The ethics of research involving human participants'. Courses developed with input from experts at University of Suffolk and reviewed by experts across disciplines.
• Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and Taylor & FranciskeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025UKRIO contributed to HEPI and Taylor & Francis report 'Using Artificial Intelligence to Advance Translational Research'. UKRIO's guidance 'Embracing AI with integrity' reflected in central recommendations of the report.
• Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Joint publication of 'Research Ethics Support and Review in Research Organisations' guidance. ARMA and UKRIO collaborated to support the research community in achieving high standards of research ethics review, providing benchmark policies and processes for institutional practices.
• MicrosoftinfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationElectronic records and data stored within Microsoft's data centres, using Microsoft SharePoint for secure folder and file access. Two-factor authentication required for system access.
• StripeinfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing provider for subscriptions, training, and events. Data retained in accordance with Stripe Privacy Policy.
• MailChimpinfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationMarketing automation platform used for newsletters and email communications with subscribers and contacts.
• ZoominfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationPlatform used to conduct online webinars, conferences, and consultations.
• SurveyMonkeyinfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationPlatform used for collecting feedback, insights, and survey responses from stakeholders.
• Sussex Innovation Centre (SINC)infrastructureTechnology or IntegrationThird-party accountancy and payroll provider handling human resources, payroll, and accounts payable functions on behalf of UKRIO.
• DattoinfrastructureTechnology or IntegrationCybersecurity provider offering anti-virus (AV) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) software integrated solutions for security system testing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nuffield Council on Bioethics: UK-based independent body that identifies and reports on ethical issues in bioscience, medicine and emerging technologies. Comparable to UKRIO as a UK charity producing authoritative ethics guidance, but focused on bioethics policy rather than institutional integrity compliance.
• Health Research Authority (HRA): UK public body that oversees research ethics and governance for health and social care research, including Research Ethics Committees. Directly comparable to UKRIO in providing ethics advisory and review services, but focused specifically on health-related research.
• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): UK-registered charity providing advice on publication ethics and integrity, addressing many of the same concerns as UKRIO (misconduct, authorship disputes, research conduct) and serving a closely overlapping subscriber base of academic publishers, editors and institutions.
• NC3Rs (National Centre for the Replacement of Animals in Research): UK charity that develops guidance, training, and best-practice resources for the 3Rs in animal research. Comparable to UKRIO in its charity model, national scope, focus on research practice standards, and provision of training, self-assessment tools and advisory content for UK research institutions.
• Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA): UK membership body for research managers and administrators that co-developed guidance with UKRIO on research ethics support and review. ARMA serves a closely overlapping institutional base with comparable training, guidance and policy advisory services.

Broad incumbents

• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): The UK's national research funding body, which sets integrity expectations, requires Concordat compliance from grant holders, and operates its own ethics and integrity functions. UKRI is a broader incumbent whose policies both shape demand for UKRIO's services and could subsume parts of its role.
• Universities UK (UUK): UK membership body representing university leaders, which influences research integrity policy and convenes the sector on governance issues. Comparable as a sector convener whose policy work overlaps with UKRIO's role in informing national integrity frameworks.

Others

• ALLEA (All European Academies): Pan-European federation of national academies that publishes the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and runs the biennial World Conferences on Research Integrity. Comparable to UKRIO as a supranational integrity standard-setter, but operating through member academies rather than direct subscriptions.

Regional players

• Office of Research Integrity (ORI): US federal body within HHS that oversees research integrity and misconduct investigations for PHS-funded research. Functionally comparable to UKRIO in its remit to investigate misconduct, develop policies, and provide training, but operating under US jurisdiction.
• Research Integrity Australia: Australian organisation promoting research integrity across higher education and research institutions. Closely mirrors UKRIO's role in providing sector guidance, training, and advisory services, but operating in the Australian geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmcttrB7LkjHhNQYvN8XQcQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uk-research-integrity-office
• Xx.com/UKRIO

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UK Research Integrity Office