Full Spectrum 10K grant application
Panda Mery made this Freedom of Information request to University of Cambridge This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.
Dear University of Cambridge,
The grant award letter for the 'Collaborative Award, ‘Common Variant Genetics of Autism and Autistic Traits (GWAS) Consortium’' project you sent in https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/f... mentions that it is based on the application made by the University of Cambridge to the Wellcome Trust. Please send all the documents held by Cambridge University which are held in relation to this application, including, but not limited, to all the documents sent by Cambridge University to the Welcome Trust for this award.
Yours faithfully,
Panda Mery
This is to acknowledge receipt of your request for information. Your reference number is given in the subject line of this email. We will respond on or before 15 November 2021.
Regards,
Information Compliance Office
University of Cambridge
Governance and Compliance Division, The Old Schools Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TN
E: [University of Cambridge request email]
Further to your request for information, please find attached the University’s response.
Regards,
Information Compliance Office
University of Cambridge
Governance and Compliance Division, The Old Schools
Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TN
E: [University of Cambridge request email]
Dear University of Cambridge,
Thank you for your response, however as you wrote that 'there are several hundred, if not thousand, documents within scope, many of which [...] are not indexed or filed formally.' that suggests that narrowing my request to all the relevant documents that are indexed or has been filed formallly should fit within the limits of the Act. I.e., the narrowing you suggested appears narrower than necessary.
Please confirm this and, if so confirmed, consider this as a request for all the documents held by Cambridge University in relation to the application for the 'Collaborative Award, ‘Common Variant Genetics of Autism and Autistic Traits (GWAS) Consortium’' project, including, but not limited, to all the documents sent by Cambridge University to the Welcome Trust for this award, that are either indexed or filed formally.
Yours faithfully,
Panda Mery
This is to acknowledge receipt of your new request for information. Your reference number is given in the subject line of this email. We will respond on or before 10 December 2021.
Regards,
Information Compliance Office
University of Cambridge
Governance and Compliance Division, The Old Schools Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TN
E: [University of Cambridge request email]
Further to your request for information, please find attached the University’s response.
Regards,
Information Compliance Office
University of Cambridge
Governance and Compliance Division, The Old Schools
Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TN
E: [University of Cambridge request email]
Dear University of Cambridge,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of University of Cambridge's handling of my FOI request 'Full Spectrum 10K grant application'.
Thank you for having eventually published a redacted version of the final grant application as submitted, however I believe that the redactions are too extensive and do not comply to the FOIA so would appreciate this FOI request to be reviewed.
The redactions made under section 40(3A)(a) of the Act are extensive and overzealous from my reading of https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...
The names of the co-investigators and of the project's team are otherwise publicised by the research project itself at https://spectrum10k.org/our-team/ Also in many instances names of organisations have been redacted along with names of individuals, which again is overzealous.
As for the redactions made under section 22A of the Act, this exemption is limited to information that is intended to be published in the future. Please either unredact the redactions made under that exmption and/or provide details of when these will be published (as per https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...).
Also I am surprised that this final grant application as submitted is the 'only formally filed/indexed documentation' held by Cambridge University in relation to the application for the 'Collaborative Award, ‘Common Variant Genetics of Autism and Autistic Traits (GWAS) Consortium’'. It is difficult to believe that for such a large research project, the only formally filed/indexed is the final grant application. No other communication with the Wellcome Trrust or related to the ethical approval or the project's publicity, etc. is formally filed or indexed? Is it all held on an ad hoc basis? So please confirm that formal filing in this project is indeed virtually non-existent or provide other held documents that may have been missed in the response.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/f...
Yours faithfully,
Panda Mery
This is to acknowledge receipt of your request for a review of our handling of request number FOI-2021-816. We will respond on or before 13 January 2022.
Regards,
Information Compliance Office
University of Cambridge
Governance and Compliance Division, The Old Schools Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TN
E: [University of Cambridge request email]
Dear Panda Mery,
Apologies; we have incorrectly stated the reference number of the request you are asking to be reviewed (it should be FOI-2021-880, not your earlier request FOI-2021-816). This is now corrected in the subject line.
Regards,
Information Compliance Office
University of Cambridge
Governance and Compliance Division, The Old Schools
Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TN
E: [University of Cambridge request email]
Dear FOI,
Thank you for your acknowledgement and correction. Best wishes for the festive season.
Yours sincerely,
Panda Mery
Further to your request for a review, please find attached the University’s response.
Regards,
Information Compliance Office
University of Cambridge
Governance and Compliance Division, The Old Schools
Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TN
E: [University of Cambridge request email]
Panda Mery left an annotation ()
The ICO needs more resources. Another couple of months before a caseworker can be assigned to look at this case:
'Please accept our apologies for the delay in allocating this complaint. We have had an increased demand for our services and this has had a knock-on effect on the speed with which we are able to assign new cases.
Cases are allocated in date order, in the interests of fairness.
When your case is allocated to a case officer, if necessary, they may contact you directly to explain how they will investigate your complaint. Cases are currently being allocated in around nine months from the date of receipt. With this in mind, we would estimate that your case will be allocated in approximately 1-2 months time. Please note that this is only an estimate.'
Panda Mery left an annotation ()
The ICO has allocated a caseworker to my complaint so the investigation process as to whether the University of Cambridge used FoI exemptions appropriately will now start. Hopefully I will be receiving more information when the investigation is completed.
Panda Mery left an annotation ()
The Information Commissioner's Office has ordered the University of Cambridge to disclose copies of all the information it has withheld about Spectrum 10K within 35 calendar days. You can read some context and the full decision notice at https://gizmonaut.net/blog/autism/2022/1...
Panda Mery left an annotation ()
The University of Cambridge has sent me the grant application. Details at https://gizmonaut.net/blog/autism/2022/1...
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now
Panda Mery left an annotation ()
I sent a complaint to the ICO on 2022-01-14.
The ICO confirmed on 2022-01-25 that 'Your complaint has now been accepted as eligible for further consideration and will be allocated to a case officer as soon as possible.'
TBC.