In Canada, research is an incredibly valuable asset which contributes to the Canadian society as a whole and also gives back to the world internationally. At the same time, this research is vulnerable to foreign hostile actors and regimes and there is a real risk that such actors will attempt to access, acquire and misuse research to undermine Canadian national security and critical infrastructure. According to CSIS, Canadian researchers are not alone in facing such risks.
In response to these growing risks to national security, federal departments responsible for security released the National Security Guidelines for research partnerships on July 12, 2021. The Safeguarding Your Research portal was also launched to better educate Canadian researchers.
What research areas are most at risk?
Please refer to this webpage for a list of sensitive areas of research
What can I do?
Researchers can take an active role in protecting their research in the following ways: