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Research Accreditation

Who is research accreditation for?

Universities, research centres, and institutes with active research programmes — including teaching-led institutions building research capacity for the first time. Because Accredo's institutional accreditation deliberately does not demand a research profile, this standalone route exists for institutions where research is part of the mission and deserves its own recognition.

What do inspectors assess?

The review focuses on how research is governed and conducted, not merely counted:

• Research strategy and its honest fit with institutional capacity
• Ethics review processes and their actual operation, including human-subjects protections
• Research integrity: authorship, data management, plagiarism and misconduct handling
• Supervision quality and researcher development, especially for postgraduate students
• Output quality and dissemination practice, assessed for rigour rather than volume
• Funding governance and transparency

All criteria derive from the ten Accredo Standards, aligned with the ESG framework.

How does the process work?

1. Register & scoping callCreate an account, complete registration, and join an online knowledge-exploration session so we understand your context.
2. Self-evaluation & evidenceSubmit the application with documentation mapped to the standards above.
3. Desk reviewInspectors assess your evidence and request clarification where needed.
4. InspectionOn-site or virtual: observed teaching, facility review, and interviews with leadership, staff, and students.
5. Report, decision & awardA graded written report goes to the Accreditation Board; successful institutions are accredited for four years.
6. Annual monitoringYearly returns and an agreed improvement plan through to reaccreditation in year four.

Typical duration: three to six months. Institutions must have taught a student cohort for at least three months before inspection. Full detail: the inspection process.

What are the benefits?

• Independent recognition of research credibility, valuable in partnership and funding conversations
• A governance framework benchmarked against international research-integrity practice
• Expert feedback for institutions building research capacity from a teaching base
• Support developing research partnerships across the Accredo member network
• Strengthened evidence base for rankings submissions where research metrics apply

Frequently asked questions