Governance & Independence
Sponsorship never determines editorial outcomes.
A platform that can be influenced is worth nothing to a regulator, and therefore worth nothing to a sponsor either. Our independence is not a courtesy we extend. It is the asset we are protecting.
What sponsors do not get
Stated plainly, before anyone signs.
- No advance sight of any publication.
- No approval or review rights over research.
- No influence over research priorities or findings.
- No speaker selection in research, policy or closed-door sessions.
- No termination right if a finding goes against them.
- No access to participant data, under any circumstances.
- No preferential access to public authorities.
When research is adverse to a funder
We publish it unchanged.
We notify the sponsor on publication day, not before. They may publish a response alongside it. They cannot terminate for cause. If they withdraw at renewal, we disclose that in our annual report.
This will happen. We tell every prospective sponsor so before they sign.
Governance
Six bodies, with stated powers and stated limits.
Governing Council
Strategy, integrity and appointments. Independent chair, majority independent of Legum. Serving regulators do not sit on it.
Research & Editorial Board
Exclusive and final authority over what we publish. Majority independent of Legum. No serving sponsor employee may sit on it.
Regulatory Advisory Council
Advisory only. No veto, no editorial control, no ability to suppress a finding. This limitation is what makes participation safe for officials and credible for us.
Industry Advisory Council
Advisory only. Sponsorship confers no seat.
Fellowship Advisory Board
Curriculum, assessment and selection standards.
Ethics & Integrity Function
Independent, reporting directly to the Governing Council with no line through management. Maintains the conflicts register, investigates alleged breaches, operates the whistleblowing channel, and publishes an annual integrity report. It can recommend termination of a sponsorship.
The Legum Compliance boundary
The Dialogue is not a business-development channel.
No solicitation takes place on any Dialogue platform, by anyone, including Legum Compliance. Where Legum Compliance has a client relationship material to a research topic, we disclose it in the publication and commission additional independent review.
Every publication discloses its funding source. Our annual report discloses all sponsors, all amounts by band, and any funder exceeding 10% of income. Our annual integrity report discloses substantiated breaches. Our annual impact report includes an honest account of what did not work.
Public authorities pay nothing: no membership fee, no attendance fee, no sponsorship relationship of any kind.
Join the Dialogue.
Weekly sessions are by invitation or approved application. Research is free to everyone, permanently.