Section: Research Policy & Development

Research security was high on the agenda of the outgoing European Commission as evidenced by a series of policy documents, most notably in the Economic Security Strategy package put forward in May 2024. Research security can only be effective if policy is translated into practical solutions through easy-to-use tools, balancing openness and safety.

This policy brief aims to draw practical conclusions and provide recommendations on how to support researchers aiming to collaborate with China in light of the ongoing policy debate on research security. The recommendations are based on the main findings of an online survey on the topic of research security in the context of cooperation with China, which was carried out by ZSI in the framework of the ReConnect China project between May and June 2024. It targeted researchers from both public and private Austrian universities without disciplinary restrictions, as well as from the Austrian Academy of Sciences. In total, 36 institutions were contacted, resulting in 55 individual responses, out of which 24 responses were fully filled-out and used for analytical purposes. It concludes with 5 "China-specific" policy recommendations which should help European researchers and policy makers in tackling the complexities that arise when engaging in research or innovation cooperation activities with Chinese institutions.

The authors consider China a unique case for international research cooperation, requiring case-based information gathering and policy development to balance openness with security on the three levels concerned (individual, institutional, national).

Authors: Brugner, P., Szüdi, G.

Downloads: