FOI release

FOI2025/00345: Common Cold Unit Archive

Some or all of the information requested was not provided because we determined that the cost to do so would exceed the appropriate limit.

Case reference FOI2025/00345

Received 24 March 2025

Published 28 May 2025

Request

Request Received: 24 March 2025

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting access to any historical records held by the Medical Research Council or UKRI concerning the Common Cold Unit (CCU), including:

Documentation or study reports detailing experiments involving intentional exposure of participants to cold or flu viruses.

Informed consent forms, participant protocols, or ethical board reviews for such experiments conducted between 1946 and 1989.

Internal or external correspondence with the Ministry of Defence, Porton Down, or other government entities concerning the CCU’s work.

Information on how CCU results were shared, used in public health policy, or influenced pandemic planning.

If these records have been archived or transferred, please advise where they can be accessed.

Response

Response Sent: 16 April 2025

Full details of the response are contained in the attached document.

Documents

• FOI_Response_Letter - FOI2025_00345_Redacted.pdf (271.4 KB)

This is UK Research and Innovation's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.

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