Recognising the growing need for stronger compliance measures, HERSA and Xapien are partnering to help UK higher education institutions enhance risk management, improve transparency, and strengthen data protection.

Through this collaboration, HERSA members can gain access to Xapien’s automated due diligence platform, enabling universities to efficiently assess and understand risks associated with individuals, organisations, or funding sources.

This partnership will also deliver broader value to the sector through shared training resources, improved access to experts in research security, and the development of thought leadership content to inform and elevate best practice across the industry. Together, HERSA and Xapien aim to build a more informed, connected, and resilient compliance community within UK higher education.

This partnership supports the UK Government’s call for universities to reduce reliance on foreign investment and increase transparency in funding sources to protect intellectual property, technology, and sensitive research from foreign economic and military exploitation.

Chris Buckland, HERSA Co-Chair, said:

“Collaboration is a critical factor in tackling the complex and fast-moving landscape of economic and research security. Partnering with Xapien continues our collaborative model and will provide mutual benefit across the wider UK higher education landscape, ensuring credibility and assurance as we navigate our compliance and risk management strategies.”

Chris Green, CEO and co-founder of Xapien, said:

“At a time of incredible geopolitical volatility and increasingly clever tactics from high-risk individuals and organisations, our platform delivers comprehensive, actionable insights that inform decisions around prospective partners, donors, and other third parties. Our depth of research and reporting provides complete risk awareness and due diligence coverage to some of the world’s leading research institutions. Our partnership with HERSA will enable us both to build a stronger culture of compliance in the UK and internationally.”

About Xapien

Xapien is an industry-leading due diligence tool in UK and global higher education.

Founded in 2018 by intelligence experts, Xapien is trusted by leading institutions including the University of Cambridge, King’s College London, and the University of Reading, as well as global organisations across regulated sectors.

It goes beyond traditional screening checks, combining global media, corporate records, sanctions, and watchlists to provide comprehensive due diligence reports on individuals and organisations in under 20 minutes.

For more information visit xapien.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About HERSA

The Higher Education Research Security Association (HERSA) is a sector-led, institutionally agnostic association led by research security professionals from some of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities. Formerly known as the Higher Education Export Control Association (HEECA) until early 2026, we were initially established to develop and promote best practice in export control compliance across the UK higher education sector. Today, our work spans the broader research and economic security agenda, reflecting the dynamic, complex, and ever-changing landscape of UK national security. We serve as a conduit for technical exchange between practitioners, government, industry, and other national and international stakeholders. We enable collaboration across the UK higher education sector to foster a consistent approach to security compliance at a national level, facilitating both in-person and online events that promote key discussions and best practices.

Visit the HERSA website and follow HERSA on LinkedIn to learn more.