Hosting a conference at the University of Manchester

With overseas conferences being a normal part of academic life, researchers will understandably focus on their presentations and potential research opportunities, rather than the security issues. Organisers should remind all speakers and attendees that part of their preparation for the conference should be to:  

• Think carefully about what information they share or present- If it is controlled under an export control rating code you should confirm that as the recipient cannot take that information out of the country (in the shape of notes taken in the conference or photos taken of the presentation) without an export licence from the UK government. Be wary of questions and consider if your answer could be within the scope of export controls before answering. 

• Make sure they understand the UK’s attitude to freedom of speech and academic freedom (Policy on Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom (The University of Manchester)). 

• Is their data or content of their presentation in the public domain (i.e. has it been published before this event?) 

• University of Manchester staff and students attending the conference should use the following risk assessment to determine the level of risk of the research projects they are planning on sharing or discussing (Quantum technologies Risk Assessment for UoM staff and students attending conference.pdf)- For other research areas, please contact the Regulatory Compliance Team for Risk Assessment template- 

• Be polite but firm if pressed to share more information 

• Report any suspicions to your manager and the Head of Research Security and Compliance at the University of Manchester. 

Additionally, for the organiser/host of the conference, you should consider: 

• where will the conference be held? Depending on the location, are any physical access controls required?  

• for the people giving the presentations are being paid, they will need a specific VISA type and approval from the visitor panel (Visitors | People Directorate | StaffNet | The University of Manchester) 

• Are there IP considerations, such as disclosure, to be addressed?  

• Will there be any additional activities which take place outside of the conference? If so, do you need to undertake any additional processes (e.g. risk assessment, legal compliance etc.)? For example, will they visit any university facilities or meet with any university staff and/or students?  

• If you wish to give attendees access to the net, this can be done via Eduroam. 

• Any ad-hoc data requests should be refused. 

• Attendees’ USB sticks and other devices must not be plugged into university devices / network.