Secure innovation news
The subject of secure innovation and research security is in the news, as Western governments warn of the elevated threat facing start-ups, investors, and the university sector.
On 25 April, the UK government briefed senior university leaders about the threats posed by foreign states to the security of research in key areas. Reporting on the briefing highlighted the need for greater collaboration to address the threat, while underlining challenges around the availability of resources and expertise.
These challenges were emphasised in a podcast about the US approach to research security. Dr Emily Bradford, of the University of Kentucky, emphasised that universities lacked the expertise and resources to assess threats: “Because we’re not law enforcement, we don’t know how to assess risk and evaluate our faculty.”
The threat was highlighted in reporting on an espionage case involving sensitive research into innovative technologies in Germany. The German government has called on academic institutions to think “more strategically” about how they collaborate with Chinese academics and institutions.
There is likely to be further attention paid to the issues of secure innovation and research security in coming months, reflecting the elevated threat perception among governments, as well as greater scrutiny of this subject.
Sources:
Foreign states targeting UK universities, MI5 warns - BBC News
British intelligence moves to protect research universities from espionage
Safer together - Research Professional News
On Research Podcast – Navigating the Complexities of Research Security
