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Cardiff University’s Indemnity/Insurance

Activity for which University insurance is required

Whenever the University is deemed to be involved in specific research activity, the University must have appropriate insurance in place.  Involvement could, for example, mean the University is responsible for the design and/or management of specific research activity; the University receives monies for that research activity; or the research activity uses University facilities.

NHS and Commercial Indemnity

Neither NHS Indemnity nor Commercial Indemnity cover Cardiff University itself, should the injured party sue the University AND the NHS or the University AND the Commercial Company.  In such cases, the University requires its own insurance to cover itself should the University be found responsible for that harm (i.e. the University had been negligent) or has to pay defence costs to successfully defend any claim.

Negligent and Non-Negligent Harm

The University’s insurance cover only routinely provides for negligent harm.  Where arrangements for non-negligent harm cover are required, the RG Team shall contact Zurich Municipal for further advice.

University insurance cover

The University has insurance cover for:

  • Public Liability
  • Products Liability
  • Employers Liability
  • Professional Negligence
  • Clinical Trials

Zurich Municipal provide a ‘to whom it may concern’ letter detailing the level of insurance the University holds.  This letter is renewed annually on 1st August.  

The RG Team is responsible for referring research activity to Zurich Municipal.  The CI should provide the RG team with the following:

  • the protocol;
  • patient information sheet and consent form;
  • details of Staff involved in the research and the activities they will undertake;
  • proposed start date of the research and its duration.

Once the above information has been received, the RG team shall be responsible for assessment of the insurance requirements and, where required, referral of the research activity to Zurich Municipal.

Any Clinical Trial (as defined by the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004) which fulfils one or more of the following criteria should be referred to Zurich for confirmation that insurance cover can be provided:

  • Phase I/II Clinical Trials
  • Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries (ABPI) standards indemnity is not in place for research  sponsored/funded by a Pharmaceutical company
  • The substance under investigation has been designed and/or manufactured by the University
  • International Sites are involved
  • Research participants are under 5 years of age
  • Research participants that are pregnant
  • The research interferes with the process of conception
  • Clinical Trial studying hepatitis
  • Clinical Trial studying Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease
  • Clinical Trial studying Genetic Engineering

All other types of research are covered automatically and the standard ‘To whom it may concern’ letter, provided by Zurich, should be used as evidence that appropriate insurance is in place. The CI should request the letter from the RG Team.