Research governance refers to the formal and informal frameworks that enterprise research operations use to maintain methodological integrity, data security, regulatory compliance, and consistent quality across all studies. In qualitative research, governance spans participant consent, data handling, study approval workflows, and the traceability of findings back to real source material. Within research operations, strong governance reduces the risk of flawed or non-compliant studies reaching stakeholders, and ensures that insights can be audited and trusted. As research programmes scale across markets, languages, and business functions, governance becomes the structural foundation that keeps findings credible and the organisation protected.