Customer success story
How KCL's research assurance team use Xapien for potential collaborators
Growing requirements to meet research funding compliance
The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has long recognised the importance of international collaboration in driving research and innovation excellence. However, as global partnerships have increased, so have the risks to national security. In response, the UKRI has implemented requirements for funded institutions, like King’s College London (KCL), to conduct more rigorous due diligence on research collaborators before a partnership begins. To meet these compliance requirements, KCL turned to Xapien to assess around 200 new partnership opportunities per year, protecting the £3.5 million in research activity it conducts with partners annually.
How KCL managed due diligence before Xapien
The prospect research team was the first to adopt Xapien, reducing their time spent on manual research by around a third. This success led KCL to expand Xapien into the research assurance team. They previously relied heavily on Google searches and academic input, which was both time-consuming and prone to error. The team cycled through various tools to ease this manual burden, but none provided the in-depth insights needed for both individuals and organisations.
Gathering information about potential partners or collaborators used to take the team about a day. This manual approach not only consumed valuable time but also risked leaving information gaps—especially for partners from unfamiliar regions where language barriers made research more challenging. This impacted the team’s ability to evidence their work and provide proof that they had done the deep due diligence checks that the UKRI requires.
The impact Xapien had on KCL’s due diligence process
The team now uses Xapien to gather key information on potential research collaborators at the application stage, which is fundamental to the UKRI’s updated terms. If red flags appear, KCL can address them early, avoiding later scrutiny from the UKRI. Running a Xapien report takes only 3 to 4 minutes on average, and reviewing the report typically takes about an hour, depending on the complexity of the collaborator's profile.
The team begins by reviewing screening data. Xapien incorporates 150 international government sanctions lists and watchlists, removing the need for a separate screening tool. For UK-specific data, KCL still uses Companies House for company information and CreditSafe for credit checks, although they are mindful that Companies House data is limited to UK entities. Accessing accurate and detailed information can be especially difficult for international organisations operating in jurisdictions with limited transparency or language barriers. To address this, Xapien integrates with international corporate registry providers, enabling its reports to include insights into overseas directors and organisations.
These reports cover ownership structures, major shareholders, and the hierarchy of group companies or subsidiaries. This level of detail is essential for understanding a potential collaborator’s funding sources and ultimate beneficiaries. Xapien also identifies the regulatory body overseeing the collaborator, adding valuable context to the due diligence process.
However, screening data alone provides a partial view. To produce a complete profile, Xapien supplements it with web searches that draw from the entire indexed internet. This includes sources such as blogs, press releases, news articles, exposés, investigative reports, and company websites. By combining AML risks, corporate data, and insights from online content into a single report, Xapien delivers a detailed and holistic profile of each potential collaborator.
Having the data laid out on a timeline is valuable for the research assurance team. This highlights significant news and events which are fully sourced, so users can trace where the information came from. The timeline includes both positive and negative events, such as new partnerships, acquisitions, or lawsuits. Even in cases without significant risks, having this insight provides valuable context. The team won’t be influenced solely by adverse news. Instead, they have a complete view, including positive, neutral, and negative coverage.
For academics, this tool is especially crucial when vetting third-party suggestions or building networks where an organisation was recommended to them. It’s not just about the organisation itself—it’s also about understanding the wider risk exposure and the people associated with it. Previously, they wouldn’t have had the means to conduct a deep dive on these organisations. With Xapien, they now have access to the detailed information needed before approaching them.
How KCL use Xapien reports for internal processes
At the application stage, KCL runs a Xapien report to gain a holistic view of the potential collaborator before submitting for funding. In the UK, funders such as UKRI allow institutions 2-3 months to finalise their due diligence. For KCL, this timeframe is manageable with Xapien as it provides the research assurance team with comprehensive information about the potential partner upfront. Without the platform, the research assurance team would spend significantly more time gathering information at the outset, and their findings would be less thorough.
At the awards stage, KCL conducts a more in-depth review during the panel assessment process. KCL has 11 panels, each acting as stakeholders who assess the information about potential collaborators and assign a RAG (Red, Amber, Green) rating. These assessments are broken down into different areas, allowing panellists to dive deeper into the Xapien report when they need to further investigate the potential collaborator.
The consistency of Xapien reports is valuable, as everybody in the organisation is now familiar with what to expect from them. They trust the layout and content, enabling them to quickly locate the relevant information and extract it directly from the report.
"Xapien saves time, offers better controls, and reduces errors. The tool provides both direct and indirect information, which is invaluable.”
Andy Webb, Director of Research Assurance, King’s College London (KCL)
Xapien streamlines due diligence
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