Skip to content

Early Career Researcher Network: data-sharing principles of the Early Career Researcher Network

The Early Career Researcher Network is an inclusive, researcher-led membership body accessible to all UK-based early career researchers (ECRs) working in the humanities and social sciences – regardless of their funding source or background.

The British Academy’s Early Career Researcher Network was launched in Autumn 2021 in partnership with the Wolfson Foundation, which agreed to support the pilot phase over an initial two years. However, following the successful pilot, the Network now aims to be a permanent and long-lasting programme, thanks to the seed funding of the Wolfson Foundation and generous support of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)  and Wellcome.

Since its inception, the ECRN has grown from a single regional ‘cluster’ in the Midlands with 500 members to 9,000+ members in nine regions across the four UK devolved nations. An independent evaluation in 2022 said it addressed “an important need in the arts, humanities and social sciences landscape” and was “an undoubted success among ECRs”.

Who is involved?

The British Academy will be working in partnership with institutions in these regions to successfully deliver the network.

Each 'region' is led by a Cluster which is made up of two to four institutions. These institutions assist the Academy in successfully delivering the network within that area of the UK.

What is the purpose of the data-sharing principles?

This webpage describes the guiding principles that all institutions and Clusters align to when collaborating in the network with network members' personal data.

The UK Data Protection Act and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ('data protection legislation') govern the processing of individuals' personal data by organisations across the UK including the Academy, institutions and Clusters.

The data protection legislation is based on a series of principles and obligations, this document is used to explain them to Network members in the interests of transparency.

Types of data

The data required to manage membership to the network consists of contact details, academic qualifications and Academy awards and employment details.

Reasons for data sharing

Some of the data provided will be shared with the institution that the network member is part of (if applicable) and may also be shared with the cluster assisting the delivery of the network in that region.

Data is shared for the following purposes:

  • For the institution to monitor network membership and take up; and
  • For the institution and/or Cluster to communicate with network members directly about news and events that are relevant to network membership and interests

The data that will be shared for these purposes will simply consist of network members' contact details, institution name and department.

Data will never be shared with any third parties outside of the Academy, institutions and Cluster, all of which are within the UK.

Member institutions' privacy policies

Below are links to the list of institutions and Clusters. Each is classed as a data controller under data protection legislation:

Midlands and Mid Wales

South West and South Wales

Scotland

London

North West and North Wales

North East and Northern Ireland

Yorkshire and the Humber

East of England

South East

The governing principles for data processing and sharing

The Academy, institutions and clusters process and share data based on the following data protection principles:

Purpose – the purpose for processing and sharing personal data is to operationally manage membership of the network, keep network members informed of network developments, communicate for network-related events and news and to monitor the membership take-up at the Academy and locally at institutions.

Data minimisation – data collected is limited to only what is needed for the purpose defined above.

Accuracy – data is kept as accurate as possible and updated where it is found to be inaccurate.

Storage limitation – data will be retained for only as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose of the processing.

Security – the security of personal data is the primary principle when processing personal data and sharing it. Data will always be protected using passwords and encryption where possible and access limited to only those who are authorised to see it.

Concerns and queries

Where a Network member has a concern or query about data privacy, they should contact the Data Protection Officer at the British Academy directly at: [email protected].

Sign up to our email newsletters

Join our mailing list to explore the ideas and impact of the British Academy. Get updates on research, funding, policy, international collaborations, and events that bring the humanities and social sciences to life.