FAQs about the University and Policies Researchers are frequently ...

FAQs about the University and Policies 

Researchers are frequently asked to provide information about the University of 

Southampton by research Sponsors, Charities and Commercial collaborators prior to 

award of contract or when completing Pre-Qualifying Questionnaires and responding 

to Invitations to Tender. The type of information requested varies and queries have 

ranged from information on our legal status to details of specific policies. 

Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions and links to help you find the 

information you need. 

Please note that many of the links outlines here are for internal users only. When 

working off campus these can be accessed through the Sussed Portal: 

https://sussed.soton.ac.uk/cp/home/displaylogin 

Organisation: ......................................................................................................................................2 

What is the full legal name of your organisation? ...............................................................2 

How long has the organisation traded under this name?..................................................2 

What is the registered office address for the University?..................................................2 

What is your organisation’s registration number?:.............................................................2 

What is your organisation’s VAT number?.............................................................................2 

What is the name and address of any parent organisations? N/A .................................2 

What is the organisation management structure? ..............................................................2 

Can you describe the activities of your organisation?........................................................2 

Finance: .................................................................................................................................................2 

What is the University’s income?...............................................................................................2 

What insurance does the University have?.............................................................................3 

Research: ..............................................................................................................................................3 

What specific research policies do you have in place regarding:....................................3 

Quality: ..................................................................................................................................................4 

What were the University 2008 RAE scores?..........................................................................4 

Do you have a copy of your last QAA report? .......................................................................4 

What pass rate has the University achieved in relevant subject/modules? .................4 

Are you ISO 9000/9001/9002 certified? ................................................................................4 

Policies: .................................................................................................................................................4 

How many staff/students do you currently have? ...............................................................4 

What specific staff policies do you have in place regarding:............................................4 

Health & Safety breaches.............................................................................................................5 

Has the University ever had any Health, Safety or Environmental court 

proceedings, convictions, censures, prohibition or improvement notices, injuries or 

accidents? .........................................................................................................................................5 

Contract: ...............................................................................................................................................5 

What is your capability to fulfil the terms of the contract/project?...............................5 

Who has authority to sign contracts? ......................................................................................5 

Supply Chain Management:...........................................................................................................6 

What are your policies relating to suppliers? ........................................................................6 

Other: .....................................................................................................................................................6 

Do you attempt to influence legislation?.................................................................................6 

What is your disaster management policy? ...........................................................................6

Organisation: 

What is the full legal name of your organisation? 

“The University of Southampton” 

How long has the organisation traded under this name? 

Since 1952 

The University is instituted by Royal Charter, an electronic copy of which is available 

online: 

http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/sectionIII/part1.html 

What is the registered office address for the University? 

The University of Southampton 

University Road 

Highfield 

Southampton 

SO17 1BJ 

United Kingdom 

What is your organisation’s registration number?: 

RC 000668 

What is your organisation’s VAT number? 

GB 568 6304 14 is our registration number 

What is the name and address of any parent organisations? 

N/A 

What is the organisation management structure? 

Full details of the University’s structure are outlined in the University Calendar, which 

is available online: 

http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/sectionIII/part45.html 

It may also be useful to look at the Statutes and Ordinances, also online: 

http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/sectionIII/index.html 

Can you describe the activities of your organisation? 

The University of Southampton is one of the top ten research universities in the UK 

and carries out cutting-edge research as well as providing education in all major 

academic subjects for over 22,000 students. The University works closely with 

business and industry and has a strong enterprise agenda. 

Finance: 

A copy of the University’s Financial Regulations is available online (internal only): 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/central/fnregs.pdf 

What is the University’s income?

In 2007/08 the total income for the University was £372,804,000 and our income 

from Research Grants and Contracts Income was approximately £84,000,000. 

The 2007/08 accounts are available online: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/central/FA2008.pdf 

Details of account dating back to the financial year 2000/01 can be found at: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/central/accounts.html 

What insurance does the University have? 

The University’s insurance website has details of current policies and cover (internal 

only): 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/insurance/index.html 

Specific policies can also be found on this site relating to: 

Public and Products Liability (internal only): 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/insurance/liabilities/public.html 

Employer Liability (internal only): 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/insurance/liabilities/empl.html 

Professional Indemnity (internal only): 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/insurance/liabilities/prof.html 

Clinical Trials (internal only): 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/insurance/liabilities/human.html 

Governors, Directors and Officers Indemnity (internal only): 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/insurance/liabilities/gdo.html 

In each case you will see the financial limits of our cover at the bottom of the page. 

You can also find details of the University’s insurance policies in Section 29 of the 

Financial Regulations (see the link above) 

If you cannot access these links, or you have further questions about insurance 

provision within the University, you can contact the insurance department by e-mail 

at insure@soton.ac.uk or, alternatively, telephone the department on 023 8059 2417 

or 023 8059 4790. 

Research: 

What specific research policies do you have in place regarding: 

Intellectual Property Regulations: 

http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/sectionIV/part22.html 

Freedom of Information: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/corporateservices/legalservices/practiceareas/dpeifo 

i/index.html 

Data protection (internal only – external users should contact Legal Services 

on legalservices@soton.ac.uk): 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/corporateservices/legalservices/practiceareas/dpeifo 

i/index.html

Academic Integrity (internal only): 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/ris/research/policies/integrity.html 

Ethics Policy (internal only): 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/ris/research/policies/ethics.html 

For further details on Ethics and Academic Integrity documents, please contact 

Research & Innovation Services. 

Quality: 

What were the University 2008 RAE scores? 

A full list of RAE scores for all departments is available online: 

http://www.southampton.ac.uk/research/raescores/rae2008.html 

The general site for the 2008 exercise, including scores for other institutions, is 

located at: http://www.rae.ac.uk/ 

Do you have a copy of your last QAA report? 

A PDF copy of the 2008 QAA institutional audit for the University of Southampton 

can be downloaded from: 

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/reports/instReports.asp?ukprn=10007158 

What pass rate has the University achieved in relevant subject/modules? 

Please contact your relevant School office for further details. 

Are you ISO 9000/9001/9002 certified? 

With the exception of the Human Factors Research Unit in ISVR, the University does 

not have ISO 9000/9002 registration. You should contact your School for full details 

of the equivalent standards that are in place. 

In lieu of actual certified quality assurance we would recommend using wording 

along the following lines when responding to questions about what standards we 

adhere to: 

“The University undertakes research in accordance with good academic 

practice and will apply due skill and care appropriate to the type of work 

undertaken.” 

Otherwise, your Collaboration Support Manager will assist with alternative wording 

should you require it. 

Policies: 

How many staff/students do you currently have? 

We currently have approximately 5,500 members of staff. 

In 2005/06 we had a total of 22,170 students enrolled. 

In 2007 staff turnover was 12.3% 

What specific staff policies do you have in place regarding:

Equal Opportunities and Managing Diversity 

http://www.southampton.ac.uk/quality/strategies/equalop.html The 

University’s general statement on Equal Opportunities is available externally 

at: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/jobs/working/equality.html 

Disability: 

http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/sectionIV/part24.html 

Health and Safety: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/healthandsafety/index.html (create new link) 

The Environment: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/susdev/img/Environment%20Policy_VC_030806.pdf 

Sustainable Procurement: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/susdev/procure/index.html 

Waste and Recycling: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/susdev/waste/index.html 

You may also want to check with your individual School office or Health and Safety 

Officer regarding any specific policies depending on the nature of the academic field. 

If you cannot access the Health and Safety link, please contact University Safety 

Advisor Mike Booker on mdb@soton.ac.uk. 

Health & Safety breaches 

Your funder may also ask about any Health & Safety breaches that have occurred. 

This information may be obtained by going to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) 

website and checking the HSE Public Register of Enforcement Notices (use the search 

for “University of Southampton”). 

http://www.hse.gov.uk/notices/default.asp 

Has the University ever had any Health, Safety or Environmental court proceedings, 

convictions, censures, prohibition or improvement notices, injuries or accidents? 

Please contact Legal Services for details on legalservices@soton.ac.uk. 

Contract: 

What is your capability to fulfil the terms of the contract/project? 

You should speak to your School Manager and the relevant Collaboration Support 

Manager for further details. 

Who has authority to sign contracts? 

University policy specifically states that staff should not sign contracts beyond their 

own authority. Therefore, contracts should be forwarded to the Research Support 

Office (Room 4107, Building 37) for signature to be arranged by an authorised 

signatory. This will be either the Research & Innovation Services Director or your 

School Accountant depending on the nature of the contract.

Please note that committing the University contractually where you are not 

authorised to do so may lead to a disciplinary matter and you could be liable for any 

costs incurred by the University as a result of the contract. You should be aware that 

this applies to confidentiality agreements and material transfer agreements as well 

as wider research contracts. 

Financial Regulations can be downloaded at (internal only): 


Supply Chain Management: 

What are your policies relating to suppliers? 

The University has various policies and procedures for the procurement and disposal 

of equipment. In addition to this, funding organisations have established their own 

rules related to grants (and sometimes applications). The following list provides 

links to some sources of information available. As a general rule where there is a 

conflict between University and Funding Council policies and procedures the more 

onerous policy will apply. 

The University’s procurement strategy is as follows: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/procurement/index.html 

Terms and Conditions: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/procurement/terms.html 

Information can also be found in the Financial Regulations; for Expenditure see 

Section 15 and for Procurement see Section18: 


If you cannot access these links, you can contact the procurement department by e- 

mail on procurement@soton.ac.uk or telephone 023 8059 2654. 

Waste and Recycling – including Important Guidance on Disposal of Waste 

Electrical and Electronic equipment (W.E.E.E.Directive) 

http://www.southampton.ac.uk/estates/services/wasterecycling/index.html 

Disposal of Equipment form 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/finance/procurement/policy/disposalform.pdf 

Other: 

Do you attempt to influence legislation? 

The University is a member of various organisations in the UK which have as one of 

their aims the purpose of highlighting the current thinking and aims of the HE 

sector. This can involve consulting with and being consulted by the UK Government 

with a view to forming guidelines and legislation for the HE sector. 

What is your disaster management policy? 

The University has well established Crisis Management Procedures which are 

followed if an event threatens to disrupt normal business procedures. In short, these 

consist of convening the Crisis Management Team which is chaired by the 

University's Registrar & Chief Operating Officer, and which draws on the knowledge

of specialised individuals and is mandated to take the responsibility for the crisis on 

behalf of the University's Executive Group. These procedures are periodically 

reviewed (most recently after the serious fire in October 2005) and, where possible, 

plans are made for upcoming events (the University has formulated a plan to deal 

with the possibility of an influenza pandemic). 

Your can gain access to a variety of information resources externally through the 

Freedom of Information scheme: 

http://www.soton.ac.uk/inf/foischeme.pdf 

If you are in doubt about any question on a pre-qualification questionnaire, please 

contact your School Office or the relevant Collaboration Support Manager as 

appropriate. To find out who that is, please go to: 

http://www.southampton.ac.uk/ris/about/contactris.html 

Alternatively, e-mail Research & Innovation Services at ris@soton.ac.uk for further 

details 

Finally, if you do come across a question/request for information that you think 

would be helpful to include in this document please contact us (as above) and we will 

gladly consider adding it.

FAQs about the University and Policies Researchers are frequently ...

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