As a researcher and a government employee, you are personally responsible for not disclosing confidential information and for complying with ethical approvals, permits for animal experiments and so forth. Violation of these requirements may lead to disciplinary actions or complaints filed with the police.
The following are examples of areas in which you have personal responsibility:
Responsibility as per the ethical review approval
Responsibility as per permits for animal experiments
Professional secrecy for confidential information
Contractual liability for fines and damages
Responsibility as per the ethical review approval
Checklist
- Apply for or supplement ethical review approval as needed.
Overview
You are responsible for conducting your research in accordance with the Ethical Review Act. Researchers who, intentionally or due to gross negligence, conduct research without an ethical review approval, deviate from their ethical review approval, or who do not comply with the conditions of their ethical review approval may face fines or prison.
Umeå University, as the authority accountable for the research, is to take measures to prevent research covered by the Ethical Review Act from being conducted without approval or in violation of the conditions specified by an approval.
Additional information
Ethical review – how it works, Swedish Ethical Review Authority (in Swedish)
Ethics in research
Responsibility as per permits for animal experiments
Checklist
- Apply for ethical approval for animal experiments, if needed.
Overview
Conducting research involving animal experiments requires ethical approval. Researchers who, intentionally or due to gross negligence, conduct animal experiments without an ethical approval, deviate from their ethical review approval, or who do not comply with the conditions of their ethical approval may face fines or prison.
Additional information
Apply for ethical approval for animal experiments – Jordbruksverket.se (in Swedish)
Ethics in research
Policy for research on animals
Professional secrecy for confidential information
Checklist
- Familiarise yourself with your information – classify the information.
- Choose appropriate IT systems for storing and processing information based on the protection value of the material.
- Conduct a confidentiality review before sharing information with partners.
- Conduct a confidentiality review before sharing public documents.
- Ensure that all project participants are aware of how documents in the project may be handled.
Overview
All university employees have a duty of professional secrecy for information subject to confidentiality. Professional secrecy means it is prohibited to disclose confidential information to unauthorised individuals. Violating professional secrecy could lead to disciplinary action or a complaint being filed with the police. Professional secrecy involves personal responsibility.
Information subject to confidentiality may include:
- statistical information from Statistics Sweden;
- information about health, sex life and personal circumstances;
- business relationships and operating conditions of companies; or
- information pertaining to national security.
Before sharing research data containing confidential information, evaluate whether it is possible to transfer confidentiality or to share the information with reservations. Learn more about Sharing research data in research collaboration.
In Sweden, in some circumstances, it may be possible to transfer confidentiality to other authorities or to share data with partners who are employed by Swedish companies or organisations.
As a rule, classified information cannot be shared with partners in other countries. In these cases, the information must be anonymised to such an extent that it can no longer be connected to the subject of the intended confidentiality.
Contact the Legal Affairs Office if you are unsure whether the information you are handling is subject to confidentiality.
Contractual liability for fines and damages
Checklist
- Never sign personal contracts with partners.
- Inform partners that you have a duty of professional secrecy for confidential information.
- Check to see who is authorised to sign contracts according to the University's delegation of authority.
Overview
Partners sometimes want to sign personal contracts regarding confidentiality with researchers. Umeå University is always the contracting party in agreements pertaining to the University's activities and for activities that are conducted as part of the University's activities using the University's resources. An employee of the University may not be a party to a contract that pertains to work. If, contrary to these guidelines, you sign a contract to which you are personally a party, you risk incurring liability for fines or damages, which can be substantial.
If the contract that a partner asks you to sign pertains to confidentiality, often referred to as a confidentiality agreement or non-disclosure agreement (NDA), inform the partner that such agreements are entered into with the University as a party and that you, as an employee of an authority, have a duty of professional secrecy for information subject to confidentiality. Furthermore, this professional secrecy provides stronger protection for the partner than can be achieved through contracts.
Contracts are signed by an authorised individual in accordance with the applicable delegation of authority at the University.
Contact the Legal Affairs Office for assistance with drawing up contracts.