The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) is intended to increase the transparency of activity taking place in the UK at the instruction of a foreign power.
Under the government scheme, the following activity may need to be registered:
- Political influence tier - activities carried out in the UK at the instruction of any foreign power to influence political decisions, elections or referendums, or registered political parties.
- Enhanced tier – a broader range of activities carried out in the UK at the instruction of a specified part of the Russian or Iranian state.
The responsibility for registration is on the organisation or individual who makes the relevant arrangement. This could be the University or potentially an individual researcher, academic, student or student society. Noncompliance is a criminal offence and may result in fines or imprisonment.
Key scenarios include public engagement, research collaborations and foreign funding. More detailed guidance, including how to register, is provided on the Research Operations Office website.
Additional information for students:
Political influence tier
While the majority of student political campaigning would not require registration, students would have to register political campaigning activities under the political influence tier if:
• Those activities were directed by a foreign power; and
• Those activities constituted “political influence activities”.
For example, a foreign power directs a student society to campaign against a UK government decision. The student society arranges a protest and seeks to influence their local MP.
Students carrying out political influence activities as part of an arrangement between a student body, society or association and a foreign power are not required to register individually, but, where they ought reasonably to know about the foreign power arrangement, are required to check that the student body, society or association which is in the arrangement with the foreign power has registered.
Enhanced tier
There is a wide range of activity that could need registering under the enhanced tier and it is therefore advisable to check if directed by the specified foreign powers or entities.
Exemption: students in receipt of scholarship funding from a specified foreign powers or entities, and the UK University receiving them, are not required to register activities which relate to their course of study. If, however, the student were directed by the specified foreign powers or entities to carry out additional activities unconnected to their studies, they would be required to register.
If you plan to carry out activity that might need to be registered, or have any questions about the scheme, you can contact FIRS@admin.cam.ac.uk for further guidance. Students or student societies are also asked to let the University know via this email address of activity they register that might be relevant or connected to the University or their status as a student at the University.