The project, which is funded by the Wellcome Trust through its research development awards programme, will run for four years and will look to make non-clinical health research less risky for marginalised populations.

Representatives from the San indigenous peoples of the Kalahari in Southern Africa and sex worker teams from Nairobi in Kenya will define what vulnerability means to them in the project and how they want to be protected in research.

The researchers will seek to develop new methods to reduce the dangers for vulnerable populations in research, such as reducing the use of sensitive personal data, and developing and testing leadership structures.

Dr Roger Chennells, a human rights lawyer from Cape Town who represents the interests of indigenous peoples, and Dr Joshua Kimani, clinical research director at Partners for Health and Development in Africa, Nairobi, will each lead the project for one year.

Professor Doris Schroeder, director of the Centre for Professional Ethics at UCLan and leader of the project, said: “Only by working with vulnerable participants as part of the immediate research team will we reach a point where all partners benefit from the research fairly and where maximum benefits can be gained, also for science.”