Research and Innovation Services

The University of St Andrews is a research-intensive university. Research and Innovation Services (RIS) supports research, innovation and impact activities across the institution, working closely with the Vice-Principal (Research, Collection and Innovation), researchers, and other Professional services.

The specific areas that RIS supports include:

• research integrity, ethics and governance
• research information, policy, and information systems, including Pure
• research impact
• the Research Excellence Framework, including REF 2021
• innovation
• engagement with research

RIS is managed by Carlos Galan-Diaz (Acting Director) who assist the Vice-Principal for Research, Collections and Innovation, Professor Tom Brown.

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General enquiries

Email: ris@st-andrews.ac.uk

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 7220

Walter Bower House
Main Street
Guardbridge
St Andrews
KY16 0US

Other contacts:

• Vice-Principal (Research, Collections and Innovation): vpresearch@st-andrews.ac.uk
• Acting Director of Research and Innovation Services: dirris@st-andrews.ac.uk
• RIS Administrator: risadmin@st-andrews.ac.uk “

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• Research innovation

  St Andrews Innovation connects industry with students and staff. They support research collaborations, commercial licensing and University spin-outs and start-ups, creating a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

• Research support

  Researchers at the University of St Andrews are offered guidance and advice from a number of resources to support them in their research. Current staff can also find additional information on research-related areas supported by the University.

  Research and Innovation Services facilitate a number of schemes to enable St Andrews researchers to deliver high-quality research, impact and innovation. Current staff can view details of our current scheme calls: the St Andrews Interdisciplinary Research Support (STAIRS) and the St Andrews Leadership Initiative for Tailored Support (LIFTS).

  Related links

  • Research support

• Research integrity, ethics and governance

  The research integrity, ethics and governance team supports researchers to:

  • fulfil their responsibility to undertake their research in accordance with the University's 'Principles of Good Research Conduct' and 'Research Misconduct Policy'. 
  • undertake research involving humans or animals, their tissue or data, (including observational work) through ethical guidance and review processes.
  • undertake research in a legally compliant manner by providing guidance, processes and support for obtaining relevant approvals or licences.

  Related links

  • Research integrity, ethics and governance

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  Contact

  Research integrity, ethics and governance
  Walter Bower House
  Main Street
  Guardbridge
  St Andrews
  KY16 0US

  Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2550

  Other contacts:

  • Head of Research Policy, Integrity and Governance: hor-polintgov@st-andrews.ac.uk 
  • Research integrity: researchintegrity@st-andrews.ac.uk
  • Research involving human participants, their samples or data: utrecmail@st-andrews.ac.uk 
  • Research involving animals, their samples or data: holo@st-andrews.ac.uk
  • Research governance: researchgovernance@st-andrews.ac.uk

• Research information and policy

  Research information and policy comprises two sub-teams:

  • research information and policy team
  • pure team.

  Both teams work closely with the other RIS teams and central services such as Human Resources, Finance and Business Development.

  • Research policies

  Research information and policy team 

  The research information and policy team is the central contact for general research queries. In addition, they also provide services such as:  

  • management of submissions to the Research Excellence Framework, including REF 2021 
  • coordination of demand managed funding calls   
  • coordination of research leave approvals and reporting 
  • responses to external research reporting and consultation requests.

  The team provides support to the VP Research and Innovation and the Research Excellence Board. 

  Email: ris@st-andrews.ac.uk 

  Pure team 

  The pure team provides support and training to research staff and postgraduate research students on: 

  • maintaining research profiles, including Pure and ORCID 
  • pure user training, including the REF 2021 module  
  • enabling visibility of research centres and groups via pure 
  • submission to Researchfish, the UKRI collection system for research outcomes  

  Email: purelive@st-andrews.ac.uk  

  Pure web pages

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  Contact

  Research information and policy
  Walter Bower House
  Main Street
  Guardbridge
  St Andrews
  KY16 0US

  Email: ris@st-andrews.ac.uk 
  Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 7220

  Other contacts:

  • Head of Research Information and Policy: hor-infpol@st-andrews.ac.uk 
  • Pure support: purelive@st-andrews.ac.uk 

• Research impact

  Government and funding organisations generally expect researchers to be aware of the potential difference their research could make to society, and to be able to articulate how impacts could be generated, to consider ways of accelerating such change, and to take account of benefits resulting from their research. The Research Impact Team supports researchers by providing advice and training on impact, idea generation, planning, execution, evidencing and reporting (such as the REF 2021).

  The Research Impact Team also supports the GC Forum, which oversees, guides and supports capacity building, sustaining capacity and development-related research activity through competitively funded projects intended to make a real difference to the lives of people in ODA countries. 

  The Research Impact Team manages the:

  • UKRI-funded Impact Acceleration Accounts
  • the University’s internal funds to advance impact and innovation

  These funding streams support activities that strengthen relationships with strategic external partners and maximise the potential for research impact in any sector with non-academic users of research.

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  Contact

  Research Impact Team
  Walter Bower House
  Main Street
  Guardbridge
  St Andrews
  KY16 0US
  
  Email: impact@st-andrews.ac.uk  

  Research impact: help and resources
  Research and Impact blogs
  Global Challenges Forum

  Other contacts:

  • Head of Research Impact: hor-impact@st-andrews.ac.uk 
  • Global Challenges Forum: ris_gcrf@st-andrews.ac.uk 
  • Research, Impact and Innovation Services Enabler funding: riise@st-andrews.ac.uk