Brussels commits to institutional autonomy on research security

Universities and research institutions should be empowered to steer their own approaches to research security, according to the European Commission.

In a proposal for a European Council agreement on enhancing research security, published on 24 January, the commission sets out a series of principles for “responsible internationalisation” in higher education, among them the promotion of “self-governance within the sector”. Any policy response to security risks should be grounded in institutional autonomy and academic freedom, the recommendation advises.

Internationalisation should “underscore[e] the societal responsibilities of higher education institutions and other research performing organisations, building on the principle that ‘with academic freedom comes academic responsibility’”, the recommendation states.

The commission further advises European Union member states to develop “a coherent set of policy actions to enhance research security”, while establishing a central support hub that researchers can consult. States should encourage higher education institutions to establish “in-house” expertise regarding research security and establish “a culture in which openness and security are in balance”.

The EU, meanwhile, should engage with member states to ensure consistency in policy and in funding programmes at both a national and EU level, the commission says.

While stressing that “openness, international cooperation and academic freedom are at the core of world-class research and innovation”, the recommendation cites “growing international tensions and the increasing geopolitical relevance of research and innovation” as the cause of a proliferation of research security issues.

“Our researchers and academics are increasingly confronted with risks to research security when cooperating internationally, resulting in European research and innovation being affected by malign influence and being misused in ways that affect our security or infringe our ethical norms,” the commission states.

Security measures should be “precise and proportionate”, the executive body stresses, calling on policymakers to “ensure that every effort is made to avoid all forms of discrimination and stigmatisation, direct as well as indirect, that could occur as unintended side-effects of safeguarding measures and ensure full respect of fundamental rights and shared values”.

“The objective is to de-risk, not to de-couple,” the commission says.

The League of European Research Universities (Leru) welcomed the proposal in a statement, commending the commission for “put[ting] universities at the heart of their own decision-making, thus engendering institutional autonomy in this area”.

The recommendation’s emphasis on a “consistent approach” to research security across EU and national funding programmes had “calm[ed] fears that there would be a plethora of different requirements needed”, the umbrella body said.

“Leru is delighted that the European Commission wishes to develop tools and resources to help universities in performing their due diligence and risk assessment into prospective partners,” the statement continued.

Leru secretary-general Kurt Deketelaere called the recommendation “comprehensive, timely and just what was needed to help universities and research organisations in this difficult and nebulous area”.

He continued: “The [commission] has been listening to our concerns and we look forward to the developments which arise from it, [in] particular those which will improve our knowledge and response in this fast-moving area.”

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com