Background Checks Guidance

Guidance to help companies conduct basic background checks which can enable you to make more informed decisions on prospective partners

Last Updated: 20 August 2026

Introduction

The UK has a strong record in research and development and a vibrant startup ecosystem. This can make innovative UK companies attractive targets for:

State actors looking to steal your technology
Competitors seeking commercial advantage
Criminals looking to profit from companies with weak security

Partnerships are essential to the success of your business. However, partnerships increase the number of external routes into your organisation, or to any information or data you may share. By managing the additional risk that collaboration brings, you will help your company to grow safely.

Conducting due diligence on prospective partners is an essential step to assessing the risks of working with them.

This guidance is designed to help companies conduct basic background checks which can enable you to make more informed decisions on prospective partners.

Conduct background checks on any prospective partners (individuals and organisations) who may have access to your sensitive information. The aim of these checks is to:

Verify they are who they say they are
Check there are no obvious sources of unwanted control or influence
Confirm that their motives and agenda align with your own

This will help you assess potential risks to your intellectual property, stay in control of your critical assets, and ensure that the partnership meets its intended goals.

We recommend conducting background checks on all potential investors, suppliers, and partners.

Focus your efforts on the partner organisation, and any organisations which sit above them in the ownership chain.

Consider which companies within the chain, all the way up to the ultimate beneficial owner, are going to be able to materially influence your company or could have access to your intellectual assets, and whether you are happy with the risk posed. If the partner has other subsidiaries, consider whether they would have any ability to influence your company, and take appropriate precautions with your intellectual assets.

The table on the next page identifies a number of risks to consider along with the possible sources of information in open source. These are not exhaustive. You will need to consider the full range and extent of any risks in any particular case when deciding whether and how to proceed.

You will of course also need to ensure any arrangements you may enter into with partners comply with UK (and, if relevant, local) law.

Potential Risk Indicators and Open Source Examples

Organisational structures or relationships that could compromise your partner’s independence or integrity

Corporate registries showing parent companies or subsidiaries with foreign ownership, especially from states who have been involved in targeting emerging technology
Corporate registries showing large foreign shareholders, especially from states known to target emerging technology companies in the UK
Corporate registries showing significant links to a country scoring poorly on the Corruption Perception Index
Searches showing your partner is, or is closely associated with, a Politically Exposed Person (PEP), who could abuse their position for private gain
Domain lookups indicating the partner’s website is owned by a state-linked organisation

Your partner has also partnered with a foreign government on technologies with military or security applications

Press releases on the partner’s website announcing a strategic investment in your partner by a foreign government related to a technology which could have military applications

Your partner has links to foreign militaries, police, or security services of concern

Media coverage that your partner has secured a contract with a foreign military from a state that poses a security risk to the UK

Your partner has been assessed to be at high risk of diverting assets to a foreign country’s military or security service

Your partner features on an end user or entity list

Your partner is a politically exposed person (PEP), or is closely associated with one

Searches of the partner’s name, or those closely associated with the partner, identify that they are an individual entrusted with prominent public functions, other than as a middle-ranking or more junior official

Your partner has facilities in a country known to target emerging technology companies in the UK, where your intellectual assets could be duplicated without your knowledge

Media coverage of your partner opening a technical facility in a foreign country known to target emerging technology

Your international partner is operating under local laws which put your IP at risk

The Overseas Business Risk page for the country your partner operates from highlights heightened risk of IP infringement due to territorial IP rights

Your partner has been accused of IP infringement or theft

Media coverage that your partner has been involved in a lawsuit about IP theft

Indications that your partner is amassing IP transfers in your sector

IP database suggesting your partner owns significant IP in your sector, but was not the originator

Your partner, or an organisation linked to your partner, is subject to a sanction by the UK, UN, or other sanctioning body

Sanctions lists showing an individual or organisation linked to your partner is subject to a sanction

Your partner has been involved in civil or criminal proceedings, raising concerns about their values or intentions

Media or other reports of legal proceedings detailing concerning criminal or civil proceedings which relate to your partner

Your partner’s values or intentions do not align with your own

Searches and media coverage identifying problems with the partner’s reputation or integrity
Internet archives showing previous versions of the partner’s website containing information which suggests their values do not align with your own

Your partner has funded or partnered with an entity whose values or intentions do not align with your own

Press releases on the partner’s website announcing a partnership with, or investment in, an organisation who is engaged in unethical activities

Any information that does not match with what your partner told you, suggesting a lack of transparency on their part

Searches to verify claims made by the partner identifying contradictory information

Resources

The following resources may be useful tools as part of open-source due diligence. The list is not exhaustive, and NPSA take no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this list or the contents of the resources mentioned.

Corporate registries

State-associated organisations

Chinese Defence Universities Tracker — ASPI1

Sanctions lists

Corruption

Corruption Perceptions Index - Transparency.org

End user and entity lists

Legal databases

Overseas Business Risks

Overseas Business Risk - GOV.UK

IP databases

Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs)

There is no single source of identified PEPs. Examples include:

Heads of state, heads of government, ministers and deputy or assistant ministers
Members of Parliament and similar legislative bodies
Members of the governing bodies of political parties
Members of supreme courts, of constitutional courts or of any judicial body the decisions of which are not subject to further appeal except in exceptional circumstances
Members of courts of auditors or of the boards of central banks
Ambassadors, chargés d’affaires and high-ranking officers in the armed forces
Members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of state-owned enterprises
Directors, deputy directors and members of the board or equivalent function of an international organisation

Other open source tools

A range of commercially available Know Your Customer (KYC) and Know Your Partner (KYP) services are available. When using these services, ensure that they cover the risks outlined in the table above.

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Background Checks Guidance

Introduction

Potential Risk Indicators and Open Source Examples

Resources

Related Pages