The Government of Canada regularly collaborates with its international allies and partners to develop reports, recommendations, resources, materials and best practices to protect the research community from security risks or threats.
G7 SIGRE Working Group Principles of Research Security and Integrity
Canada is a proud Co-Chair of the G7 Security and Integrity of the Global Research Ecosystem (SIGRE). This working group was formed as a result of the G7 Research Compact, which was signed in summer 2021 and committed all G7 nations to advancing shared research security priorities while also establishing the SIGRE Working Group.
Canada and other G7 members of the SIGRE envision the continuation of a collaborative research system where the importance of all talent – domestic and international – is acknowledged. Openness and security are not contradictory but complementary and mutually reinforcing.
Below are links to useful resources that have been developed by the SIGRE working group to date:
The G7 Common Values and Principles on Research Security and Research Integrity paper provides a common framework that can be used to guide research security efforts in domestic and international research. The publication primarily focuses on research security and research integrity – two things that are not mutually exclusive but rather complement and support one another. The Principles Paper identifies seven values that G7 members seek to identify and respond to issues of research security and integrity collaboratively. Furthermore, it includes a set of eight principles with the goal of clearly outlining the principles that should guide our actions and how we respond to research security risks.
The G7 Best Practices for Secure and Open Research paper supports the implementation of G7 Common Values and Principles on Research Security and Research Integrity. Recognizing that all stakeholders have a role to play in ensuring the security and integrity of research, the identified best practices are aimed at governments, research funders, research institutions and researchers, either collectively or individually based on their role in research.
OECD Work on Research Security
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published the policy report on Integrity and Security in the Global Ecosystem. This report identifies and analyses good practices to safeguard national and economic security, whilst protecting freedom of enquiry, promoting international research cooperation, and ensuring openness and non-discrimination. It includes examples of actions that are being taking to prevent foreign interference, manage risks, and help ensure trust in science in the future, and offers recommendations to help countries develop effective policies to strengthen research security as part of a broader framework of research integrity.
The OECD’s STIP Portal on Research Security shares initiatives to safeguard national and economic security whilst protecting freedom of enquiry, promoting international research cooperation, and ensuring openness and non-discrimination. It includes policy initiatives to prevent foreign interference, manage risks, and help ensure trust in science as part of a broader framework of research integrity.