Government of Canada releases National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships

OTTAWA, ONTARIO — Fostering Canada’s open and collaborative academic research environment is essential for Canada to fully contribute to, and benefit from, world-leading research. While the majority of research partnerships have transparent intentions that provide mutual benefits to all research partners, some activities can be subjected to interference that can pose risks to Canada’s national security and the integrity of its research ecosystem.

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry; the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness; and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, introduced a news release the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships to address these risks.

Researchers, research institutions, federal granting agencies, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Government of Canada have a shared responsibility to identify and mitigate any potential national security risks related to research partnerships so the Canadian research ecosystem can remain secure, open and collaborative, and so Canada’s research innovations can be advanced and protected.

The guidelines, developed in consultation with a working group of Government of Canada and university stakeholders, will help integrate national security considerations into the development, evaluation and funding of research partnerships with the private sector.

The CFI is committed to strengthening research security in collaboration with its partners and in compliance with its mandate. To support the Government of Canada in safeguarding the Canadian research enterprise and protecting intellectual property, the CFI will ensure its policies and practices reflect appropriate national security considerations.

Last year, the Government of Canada created the Safeguarding your Research portal, which provides additional tools for the academic community to assess risks and to take actions to mitigate security risks associated with their research and their research partnerships.

Read: Introducing the Safeguarding Your Research Portal