Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
Summary statement of research template

New staff / visitors at University of Cambridge, who are liable for obtaining an ATAS certificate as part of a new Skilled Worker visa, Temporary Worker - GAE visa or Visitor visa application, must be provided with a research statement as agreed by the recruiting/hosting department or institution. This statement should be as technically detailed as possible and include all elements of research to be undertaken.

This form should not be used for students applying for, or on, a course of study which requires an ATAS certificate unless they are undertaking a PhD while working on a Skilled Worker Visa.

Key details	
Staff/Visitor’s name		
Department/Institution 		
Supervisor’s Name		
CAH3 Code (see Annex A)		

Research details

(To be completed by department/institution, in agreement with manager/supervisor for role)	
Subject/area of Research:		
Summary statement of research (maximum 2000 characters):	

Signed by Head of Institution / Department:		
Date:		

Instructions for Departments / Institutions

•	This section can be deleted before sending to the individual 

•	Please complete the details for the staff member and send the completed document to them in PDF format by email. 

•	The staff member / visitor will need to copy and paste the research statement into their ATAS application so a digital signature is preferred to a scanned signed PDF. 

•	CAH3 Codes: Please choose an appropriate code, as outlined in Annex A of this document. Once you have included the relevant CAH3 code, Annex A from this document should be removed prior to being sent to the new employee / visitor.

•	Summary statement of research: Please give a brief summary (around 6 or 7 lines and a maximum of 2000 characters) of the staff member’s/visitor’s area of research. For employees, please ensure this matches the description of their role as per the job description. If the applicant is undertaking a PhD as well as a job role, the statement should reflect both the study and the work. The statement should include information on the scope and application of the research, and the experimental tests and methods / techniques which might be used. Include complex technical details where appropriate. The summary should be written in the third person; the FCDO may refuse first person summaries. 

•	The department supervisors must provide the statement, not the individual, as it is the University’s description of the research. 

•	For Skilled Worker and Temporary Worker - GAE visa applicants, please provide the approved ATAS certificate as part of the Certificate of Sponsorship application. 

•	An ATAS certificate is only valid for a particular research role. Before an individual changes their research area, or if they need a new Skilled Worker, or Temporary Worker - GAE, or Visitor visa, they must obtain a new ATAS certificate. 

•	More information on the ATAS scheme is available here.

Instructions for Staff member/Visitor (please send this section to the individual)

•	If you are a student at an overseas institution, please select Taught/Research student even if you are coming to the UK to carry out research. Otherwise, please select Researcher.

•	If you are coming to the UK to work and study for a PhD at the same time, please select Research Student.

•	Copy and paste the text in the ‘Summary statement of research’ section of this form directly into the ‘Research statement’ section (if you selected Researcher) or ‘What will you be studying?’ (if you selected Student) section of the ATAS application form as appropriate. 

•	Further guidance on how to apply for an ATAS certificate can be found on our website and here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academic-technology-approval-scheme#academic-researchers

•	On the application form, where it requests “What is the name of your sponsor?”, this is the body or organisation funding your research/contract.

•	The application may take 3 weeks or more. Once you have received the ATAS certificate, please provide this to your recruiting/hosting department. If you have not received your ATAS certificate 6 weeks after applying, please consult the HR Compliance Team: complianceteam@admin.cam.ac.uk

•	You cannot submit your Skilled Worker or Temporary Worker - GAE visa application until you have received your ATAS certificate. If you are extending/switching into these visa categories from inside the UK, and If you believe this will be a problem because your visa is expiring, please consult the HR Compliance Team: complianceteam@admin.cam.ac.uk

•	Visitors applying for a Standard or Academic visitor visa do not need the ATAS certificate as part of the visa application, but you will require it before you commence any research in the UK. You will be required to present the certificate to your department who may request it before granting you access to research facilities. 

•	Apply for an ATAS certificate: https://www.academic-technology-approval.service.gov.uk/

Annex A: CAH3 Codes for ‘ATAS liable’ research programmes / fields
(Departmental/Institutional use only)

CAH Code	Subject	
Biological Sciences	
CAH03-01-02	Biology (Non-specific)	
CAH03-01-03	Ecology and Environmental Biology	
CAH03-01-06	Zoology	
CAH03-01-04	Microbiology and Cell Science	
CAH03-01-05	Plant Sciences	
CAH10-03-05	Biotechnology	
CAH03-01-07	Genetics	
CAH02-05-03	Biomedical Sciences (Non Specific)	
CAH03-01-08	Molecular Biology, Biophysics and Biochemistry	
CAH03-01-01	Biosciences (Non-specific)	
Engineering	
CAH10-01-01	Engineering (Non-specific)	
CAH10-01-07	Civil Engineering	
CAH10-01-02	Mechanical Engineering	
CAH10-01-04	Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering	
CAH10-01-05	Naval Architecture	
CAH10-01-08	Electronic and Electrical Engineering	
CAH10-01-09	Chemical, Process and Energy Engineering	
Mathematics and Computer Sciences	
CAH09-01-01	Mathematics	
CAH09-01-02	Operational Research	
CAH11-01-01	Computer Science	
CAH11-01-02	Information Technology	
CAH11-01-03	Information Systems	
CAH11-01-04	Software Engineering	
CAH11-01-05	Artificial Intelligence	
Medicine	
CAH02-02-01	Pharmacology	
CAH02-02-02	Toxicology	
CAH02-02-03	Pharmacy	
CAH10-01-06	Bioengineering, Medical and Biomedical Engineering	
Physical Sciences	
CAH07-02-01	Chemistry	
CAH10-03-07	Materials Science	
CAH07-01-01	Physics	
CAH07-01-02	Astronomy	
CAH26-01-05	Others in Geographical Studies	
CAH07-04-01	Physical Sciences (Non-specific)	
CAH07-04-03	Sciences (Non-specific)	
CAH07-04-04	Natural Sciences (Non-specific)	

CAH Code	Subject	
Technologies	
CAH10-03-03	Polymers and Textiles	
CAH10-03-01	Minerals Technology	
CAH10-03-02	Materials Technology	
CAH10-03-04	Maritime Technology	
Veterinary Sciences, Agriculture and related subjects	
CAH05-01-02	Others in Veterinary Sciences	
CAH06-01-02	Agricultural Sciences