June 22, 2023 (OTTAWA, ON) – U15 Canada today released detailed guidance for universities and researchers on leading practices to safeguard research from security threats. Canadian universities take the importance of maintaining national security extremely seriously, and today’s guidance adds to the current institutional policies and practices that have been developed in recent decades to ensure the responsible conduct of research.
“Canadian researchers are at the cutting edge in many important emerging fields, including AI, quantum technology, biosciences, and clean technologies. These leading practices will help to ensure Canadian research stays secure,” said Dr. Chad Gaffield, CEO of U15 Canada. “Our universities recognize that research is a global enterprise, and our aim is to help make Canada’s research ecosystem as open as possible and as secure as necessary.”
Over several years, U15 Canada has worked closely with government and security officials within a shared responsibility framework to enhance research security, including the creation of the Government of Canada – Universities Working Group and the development of the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships. U15 Canada is also working toward developing a ‘Secure Scholar’ digital tool to support researchers and institutions in fulfilling research security requirements.
The Guide, developed under the leadership of the U15 Vice-Presidents of Research, identifies leading principles and practices for universities to help ensure that research is conducted securely across Canada. It is expected that campuses will tailor the implementation of the suggested actions to fit their specific contexts and that the guidance will be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect evolving security approaches and emerging best practices across Canada and internationally.
For further information, please contact:
James Hammond, Senior Advisor, Public Affairs
613-715-4764
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23-06-22 – Press release – Guidance on Leading Institutional Practices to Safeguard Research