Knowledge Security at Stake
A free, open, and international research and education environment is essential to scientific progress. At the same time, geopolitical tensions pose new challenges to the science, technology, and innovation sector. In many Western countries, approaches to knowledge security are being developed to protect core scientific values and preserve national interests.
Research-performing organizations, such as universities and private companies, are at the forefront of scientific and technological breakthroughs and are therefore the fulcrum of geopolitical competition. The global science, technology, and innovation (STI) sector relies on international mobility and cooperation, which has benefited scientific and economic actors around the world. In the last decade, however, evidence has come to light that authoritarian governments, in China, Russia, Iran, and elsewhere, are exploiting the openness of the STI sector to modernize their militaries, strengthen their governance and surveillance systems, and spread propaganda abroad. As it is scientifically, economically, and politically desirable to continue cooperation with these countries, stakeholders in the US, the UK, the EU, Japan, Australia, and other Western countries are trying to balance openness with security. These wide-ranging policies are generally referred to as “knowledge security.”
Knowledge security is a broad, ill-defined concept. Certain stakeholders, particularly scientists, dispute whether knowledge can or even should be “secured.” Generally speaking, knowledge security refers to the prevention of the unwanted transfer of sensitive information, know-how, and technology, the mitigation of foreign interference in higher education and research, and the reduction of dependencies that could endanger national security and competitiveness. Ethical concerns are also important aspects. The aim of knowledge security is to protect core scientific values, ensure that international cooperation remains ethical and safe, and safeguard national interests and values. Although the concept of knowledge security is new, the practice is not. Export control of dual-use goods that seek to prevent the research and development of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons can be traced back to the Second World War. Knowledge security –also sometimes referred to as research security – is a broader concept that addresses a wider palette of risks.