UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI)

United Kingdom (UKRI)

v2016

8 domains

23 controls

The UK Concordat on Open Research Data, endorsed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) signatories, establishes expectations and responsibilities for the management and sharing of research data. It sets out ten principles covering data management planning, access, curation, and governance. Signatories include major UK research funders, universities, and learned societies. The Concordat complements GDPR requirements and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 provisions for research. It promotes open data while safeguarding privacy and confidentiality.

Verified

UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) is a compliance framework from United Kingdom (UKRI) with 8 domains and 23 controls. The largest domains are Concordat Principles (10 controls), Data Management Planning (3 controls), Licensing, Publication and Monitoring (3 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.

Maintained by Gerard BlokdykVerified against the published standard 31 May 2026Control text last updated 21 May 2026

Framework summaries on this platform are AI-assisted interpretations for educational and compliance planning purposes. They do not reproduce or replace the official standards. Refer to the authoritative source for the definitive text. Framework names and trademarks belong to their respective organisations.

Framework Domains (8)

Concordat Principles

10 controls

Concordat Principles

Controls in the Concordat Principles domain of UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) — 10 controls
Code	Title	Description
CONCORDAT-P1	Principle 1: Open as Default	Research data should be made openly available unless there are legitimate reasons to keep it closed, such as personal da...
CONCORDAT-P10	Principle 10: Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities	Funders, institutions, publishers, researchers, and infrastructure providers each have defined responsibilities in deliv...
CONCORDAT-P2	Principle 2: Standards and Best Practice	Use recognised community standards for data formats, metadata, identifiers, and documentation so research data is intell...
CONCORDAT-P3	Principle 3: Discoverability via Metadata	Data and supporting metadata should be discoverable through trusted catalogues, registries, and search services so other...
CONCORDAT-P4	Principle 4: Acknowledgement and Citation	Data producers, curators, and contributors should receive appropriate citation and acknowledgement when their data is re...
CONCORDAT-P5	Principle 5: Career Recognition	Open data practices should be recognised in researcher assessment, career progression, and reward structures.
CONCORDAT-P6	Principle 6: Cost Recovery and Sustainability	The costs of making data open and preserving it long term should be recognised as a legitimate research cost and provide...
CONCORDAT-P7	Principle 7: Legitimate Constraints on Openness	Openness must be balanced with legitimate restrictions such as protecting personal data, commercial interests, national...
CONCORDAT-P8	Principle 8: Trusted Repositories	Data should be deposited in trusted repositories that provide preservation, access control, and curation services aligne...
CONCORDAT-P9	Principle 9: Skills and Training	Researchers and support staff should have access to the skills, training, and support needed to manage and share data ef...

Constraints on Openness

2 controls

Constraints on Openness

Controls in the Constraints on Openness domain of UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) — 2 controls
Code	Title	Description
CONCORDAT-PERSONAL	Protecting Personal Data in Research	Personal data in research must be processed lawfully and shared only with appropriate safeguards such as anonymisation,...
CONCORDAT-SECURITY	Security for Sensitive Research Data	Sensitive research data must be protected by proportionate security controls covering storage, transfer, and access.

Culture, Equity and Collaboration

2 controls

Culture, Equity and Collaboration

Controls in the Culture, Equity and Collaboration domain of UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) — 2 controls
Code	Title	Description
CONCORDAT-COLLAB	International and Cross-Sector Collaboration	Open research data activity should align with international principles and support cross-sector partnerships with indust...
CONCORDAT-EQUITY	Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Open Data	Open research data practice should consider equity of access, indigenous data sovereignty, and the inclusion of underrep...

DMP

1 controls

Controls in the DMP domain of UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) — 1 controls
Code	Title	Description
UKCONCDATA-1	Data Management Plan	Per UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI): Data Management Plan. Source-grounded summary control covering authoritat...

Data Management Planning

3 controls

Data Management Planning

Controls in the Data Management Planning domain of UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) — 3 controls
Code	Title	Description
CONCORDAT-DMP	Data Management Planning	Every funded research project should have a current data management plan describing how data will be collected, stored,...
CONCORDAT-RETENTION	Retention and Preservation Periods	Research data should be retained for periods appropriate to its value, funder requirements, and disciplinary norms, typi...
CONCORDAT-SOFTWARE	Research Software and Code Sharing	Research software, scripts, and code underpinning data should be shared under open licences alongside the data wherever...

Equity

1 controls

Controls in the Equity domain of UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) — 1 controls
Code	Title	Description
UKCONCDATA-3	Equity, Collaboration, Monitoring	Per UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI): Equity, Collaboration, Monitoring. Source-grounded summary control coveri...

Licensing, Publication and Monitoring

3 controls

Licensing, Publication and Monitoring

Controls in the Licensing, Publication and Monitoring domain of UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) — 3 controls
Code	Title	Description
CONCORDAT-LICENSING	Licensing and Reuse Terms	Open data should be released under clear, permissive licences that enable reuse while respecting attribution and any nec...
CONCORDAT-MONITOR	Monitoring and Reporting	Institutions should monitor open research data activity and report progress to senior leadership, funders, and the wider...
CONCORDAT-PUBLISH	Publisher and Journal Alignment	Institutions should work with publishers and journals to align data availability statements, supplementary data, and pee...

Open Data

1 controls

Controls in the Open Data domain of UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) — 1 controls
Code	Title	Description
UKCONCDATA-2	Open Data, Licensing, Citation	Per UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI): Open Data, Licensing, Citation. Source-grounded summary control covering...

What is UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) and who does it apply to?

UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) is a compliance framework from United Kingdom (UKRI) with 8 domains and 23 controls. The UK Concordat on Open Research Data, endorsed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) signatories, establishes expectations and responsibilities for the management and sharing of research data. It sets out ten principles covering data management planning, access, curation, and governance. Signatories include major UK research funders, universities, and learned societies. The Concordat complements GDPR requirements and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 provisions for research. It promotes open data while safeguarding privacy and confidentiality. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

What does UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) actually require?

UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) has 23 controls organised across 8 domains. The largest domains are Concordat Principles (10 controls), Data Management Planning (3 controls), Licensing, Publication and Monitoring (3 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.

If I already comply with another framework, how much of UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) do I already cover?

UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI) does not currently have cross-framework mappings in our system. Check back as we continuously expand our mapping database.

How do I implement UK Concordat on Open Research Data (UKRI)?

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