UCD Policy & Procedures

UCD Procedures for Export Control compliance:

1. Researchers are required to undertake the training on Export Controls provided by UCD on (opens in a new window)Brightspace (Export Controls Training module) to ensure that they are fully informed on what constitutes a product or activity that is subject to Export Controls.

2. Researchers must assess their research activity at the earliest possible stage, to ascertain if it falls under the Export Control legislation. A decision support tool is available to help you do this. A wide range of research activities could trigger dual-use Export Controls.

3. The EU has produced military and dual-use lists of restricted products and activities, and researchers should check these lists to assess whether their research falls under this legislation. The (opens in a new window)Research Policy Officer can assist with this assessment. 

4. The Research Policy Officer will review and assess the information provided by the researcher in the decision support tool. This helps them to support the researcher's assessment and is also necessary for record keeping purposes.

5. The Research Policy Officer, in collaboration with the researcher, makes a decision on whether an Export Control licence application is required or not. Note that the process of obtaining an export licence may take a number of weeks, and any assessment of the need for a licence and an application for same needs to be done as early as possible.  

6. The actions below follow this decision:

   • If no Export Control licence is required, the Research Policy Officer records their assessment of the information provided and no further action is required.

   • If the Research Policy Officer has any queries, they will liaise with colleagues in relevant support units who will provide additional guidance.

   • If an Export Control licence is required, the Research Policy Officer, in liaison with SIRC, will assist the researcher in accessing the online portal and completing the Export Control licence application to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE).

7. Once a licence has been issued by DETE, the Research Project Officer will discuss any terms of the licence with the researcher as well as their record keeping and audit responsibilities.

8. An export cannot take place until the licence has been issued by DETE and the export must comply with all terms of the licence.

9. When exporting physical items using a freight forwarding service or similar, it is important to ensure that they satisfy professional standards. It is also essential to provide clear written instructions to the freight forwarding agent which will include the full licence details, an explanation of the implications of licence for the export (e.g., for routing) and their responsibility for documentation (e.g., returning completed customs declaration for UCD records).