Freedom of information

Freedom of Information The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) applies to all public authorities as defined in the Act, including UCL Ventures Limited. It gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by us, sets out exemptions from that right and places a number of obligations on us. Under the FOIA, a public authority has two main responsibilities:

• Production of a guide to the information it makes publicly available
• Dealing with individual written requests for information and providing the information if it is not already published, or exempt from release

Publication Scheme

The FOIA requires us to adopt a Publication Scheme. This details the categories of information made available on a routine basis. UCL Ventures has adopted the latest Model Publication Scheme produced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the independent authority responsible for compliance with the FOIA. As UCL Ventures is a wholly owned subsidiary of the University College London, a Guide to Information has been produced in accordance with the Information Commissioner’s Definition Document for Universities and other Higher Education Institutions. See here for our publication scheme.

Individual requests

The FOIA provides a general right of access by an individual to the information held by the UCL Ventures. Any person wishing to exercise this right must make their request in writing. UCL Ventures must state whether it holds the information and, subject to any applicable exemptions and to the levying of any charges as permitted under the FOIA, must normally supply the information within 20 working days. The information must be supplied in a format acceptable to the applicant (e.g. by email or in hard copy) so far as reasonably practicable. We have a duty to provide advice and assistance to anyone seeking information.