Are our collaborations safe enough?

The other day, a colleague and I had a conversation about life during the Cold War and the widespread feelings of joy and freedom that erupted when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. With the disappearance of the Iron Curtain, the world opened up, and since then we have benefited from broad international collaborations and interactions across borders.  

But something is changing! 

Recommendations for international co-operation 

In May 2022, the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s Committee on Guidelines for International Research and Innovation Co-operation (URIS) issued recommendations for a change of course regarding the universities’ international co-operation. The URIS writes:   

- The risk of foreign interference is real, and both Danish and foreign intelligence services express the view that, to a greater extent than before, foreign states are unlawfully attempting to acquire knowledge, technology and products that are important for Denmark’s competitiveness or that may have a negative impact on security policy. At the same time, the geopolitical context and threat assessment are constantly changing. 

International research collaboration is crucial if we as a university want to deliver research of the highest quality, but such collaboration can have severe security, financial and ethical consequences if our research falls into the wrong hands. 

The URIS recommends, among other things, that universities identify and protect strategically important research. And that the universities carry out checks on international partners. 

What exactly does this mean for SDU? 

We must find a way to implement the URIS recommendations at the University as best as possible. 

At SDU, we have established a new security organisation with a new area in the Central Administration – SDU SAFE – which helps implement the URIS recommendations and advises managers and researchers on international collaboration. We have set up a project organisation with management representatives from the faculties and the Central Administration, which discusses how the recommendations can best be implemented at SDU. 

In dialogue with the heads of department, SDU SAFE has mapped the University’s research in the light of URIS, and SDU SAFE and Technical Services are in the process of implementing additional protective measures in selected physical areas at the University. Following a specific risk assessment, we will introduce the use of access cards with codes and set up TV surveillance at entrances and access routes in a few areas of the University. 

We must find a good balance between adequate protection and as little inconvenience as possible for employees at SDU. This is why we will start gradually by introducing pilot projects at a few selected locations.  

Around the turn of the year, we will introduce a check on applicants from selected countries when they apply for positions at SDU if the position is in a strategically important research area. SDU SAFE will continue its dialogue with the academic environments to organise the recruitment process checks in the best way possible. 

A new era of security policy 

As a university, we must prepare for a new era of security policy, in which the international university collaborations must be accompanied by increased vigilance when collaborating with researchers, universities and businesses from specific countries.  

The new security initiatives at SDU will help protect our research. In this way, we will create the best value for society. 

In the near future, SDU SAFE will provide further information about their work on the new security measures.