NIHR Expert Connect (NIHR EC App) - Terms and Conditions including  Confidentiality Expectations

Content created 7 October 2025

Introduction

In agreeing to these Terms and Conditions of Use, you are undertaking to ensure the protection and security of all data accessed by you in the NIHR Expert Connect App (NIHR EC App) and to process that data in accordance with the following  terms and conditions, including those relevant to the class of user you fall into.

The NIHR RDNCC reserves the right to change these Terms and Conditions of Use at any time. The date of issue of this version can be found at the top of this page.

Acceptable use: what you are agreeing to

Data within this service is owned by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The DHSC is the Data Controller. Data can only be copied, downloaded or shared with 3rd Parties with permission and in line with these Terms and Conditions of Use. Specific queries can be made through the information contact listed below.  

The NIHR EC App receives data from individuals (experts) and organisations (such as the RDN and other parts of NIHR infrastructure) to hold and provide details of experts to enable them to be matched to requests for support from the health and care system, including Life Sciences Industries. 

NIHR EC App users from within the NIHR will access the NIHR EC app to identify experts suitable for incoming requests. Upon identification of a suitable person, the expert will be provided with further information and asked if they agree to provide their support (i.e. for a review). Personal data will only be shared directly with commercial companies or sponsors, when permission is provided by the expert to do so. If a request is declined by an expert, we will attempt to obtain a reason in order to better inform our processes and selection in future. 

For all users:

Users of this service will respect the privacy of personal data as described in the NIHR EC App Privacy Notice.

You are expected to adhere to standard information security details, for example:

• Not sharing logins

• Only accessing confidential information when you cannot be overlooked

• Not sharing data with people who are not authorised to see it

This list is not exhaustive.

You are expected to: 

• Adhere to any appropriate data sharing agreements that are in force

• Respect the data that you are using in line with the NIHR EC  App Privacy Notice and Confidentiality Expectations included in these Terms and Conditions. 

For Registered Experts:

Once you have accepted an invitation to register on the NIHR EC App, you have a responsibility to ensure the information is as accurate, complete and up-to-date as possible. We will prompt you to review the details we hold about you on an annual basis to ensure the information is correct. 

If you have a change in circumstances or any other details change, you may update them yourself through a link that will be emailed to you. Alternatively, you are able to request a new link or changes to your record by emailing: expertconnect@nihr.ac.uk 

For RDNCC, Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC) and Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (ATTC) network Users:

All NIHR EC App  users are required to complete necessary training and registration processes before being provided with access to the App. Once a registered user, you have an obligation to work to the training standards and any Standard Operating Procedures (and relevant updates to these materials) to ensure that you are using the NIHR EC App as intended. 

If you no longer require access to the NIHR EC App, it is your responsibility to inform the NIHR EC App administrators so that they can promptly remove your access from the system. If at any time you require access again, this can be requested through the standard registration processes. 

When accessing the NIHR EC App to assign Experts to requests for support, you have a duty to ensure you have done due diligence in matching the expertise of the expert with the request. You are also expected to monitor the ongoing assignments for any Expert you wish to contact to ensure that Experts are not asked to provide multiple responses at any one time. 

Confidentiality and Disclosure - Principles and Expectations

All users of the NIHR EC App, whether they be seeking support or experts to provide support  will,  as set out below, apply and respect confidentiality when using the NIHR EC App: 

Confidentiality and disclosure of requests for support and assignment

Requests submitted to the NIHR for support and assignment within the NIHR EC App are confidential, unless otherwise explicitly stated. They contain information outside of the public domain that is critical to organisations’ ongoing operations, or is commercially sensitive, which could seriously impede them if disclosed. Requests may also contain personal data and must be handled in accordance with the  General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other subsequent relevant legislation at all times.

 Information contained with requests must only be divulged on a confidential basis in order to select appropriate experts for the request and seek their participation. Experts will be reminded of the confidentiality of the request when they receive a request for support.  If confidential material is shared, it must be shared securely no matter what method is used to share. Information from requests may also be used internally to support process improvement and for analysis, research and evaluation.

When asked to complete a request for support, including reviews, the NIHR experts’ comments will be treated as confidential, unless they agree to disclose their details as part of the service. In some instances, such as meetings, or requests for information it may not be possible to provide the expert with anonymity. This will be made clear at the time of the request and the expert will be able to agree or decline on this basis. 

Confidentiality of meetings and other documents and information

All documents, protocols, correspondence, briefing materials, reports, names of experts and other information shared as part of the NIHR EC App and process for obtaining experts are deemed to be confidential and must be treated as such. If the expert wishes to seek input from a colleague, they must first obtain permission from the team (e.g. Early Feedback Service, ECMC, ATTC) that provided them with information about the request, before onwardly further sharing any details. 

Reviews, requests for support, expert identities, written comments, meeting minutes, and correspondence may be used within NIHR for analysis, research and evaluation purposes. All records will be retained in line with NIHR’s Data Retention Policy.

Confidentiality expectations of NIHR experts

By consenting to act as an NIHR expert, individuals agree that:

• They will not disclose the content of the request or any briefing document, protocol, report, meeting, or any other type of confidential information, or report to any person (including work colleagues) without prior consent of the assigning team (e.g. Early Feedback Service, ECMC, ATTC). This does not prevent discussion of the support request with the assigning team, and others as agreed by the assigning team, to manage the request. Colleagues who may need to be consulted may be in the NIHR, the Department of Health and Social Care and in partnership with organisations of the NIHR, such as part of the wider infrastructure.

• They will not disclose to any other person the fact that an individual, organisation or company has made a request for support

• They will not use the information for any purpose other than that outlined in the request for support or review assignment

• They will not feed any information into  Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Copilot or Gemini, etc.) to support the request. NIHR experts are prohibited from using AI tools for any work undertaken on behalf of, or for, NIHR

• Any personal data exchanged as part of a request will not be disclosed and will be treated in accordance with the the General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018 and other relevant legislation in force at the time

Requests for support should not be answered by individuals where there is a known conflict of interest. If an expert receives a request that contravenes this policy, it is their responsibility to disclose the conflict and decline the request to participate. 

The expert providing the support for any requests is responsible for the content and service they provide. The NIHR and DHSC do not accept responsibility for any views, opinions or content provided by the expert. The expectation is that your employing institution and/or/professional insurance provides indemnity for any support you provide to services assigned to you via the NIHR EC App.

Service Availability: What RDNCC provide

The NIHR RDNCC endeavours to ensure that all information on this system is accurate and available in a timely manner. If you find inaccurate information please let us know by contacting expertconnect@nihr.ac.uk 

We endeavour to provide high levels of service availability. However availability at any point, particularly out of support hours, is not guaranteed. Support is limited to core service hours (weekdays hours). Please note the system is unavailable when system changes or fixes are deployed. A banner will be displayed at the top of the screen to indicate any changes you make during such a deployment will not be saved.

Breaches of these Terms of Use: Who to contact

If you become aware of any breaches in use of this service and the data involved, then you should report it to rdncc.ig@nihr.ac.uk 

Access to accounts may be suspended without notice. 

Intellectual Property: Who owns the information

The intellectual property of this service and all materials relating to it belong to Department of Health and Social Care.

Further information and contacts

Further sources of information are:

• NIHR EC Privacy Notice, which includes within it contact details for GDPR related information requests -  NIHR Expert Connect App Privacy Notice

• Email address for reporting security breaches: rdncc.ig@nihr.ac.uk

• Email address for reporting issues with the NIHR EC App functions: expertconnect@nihr.ac.uk 

• Email address to raise a query or concern about your Expert Connect record: expertconnect@nihr.ac.uk