Guidelines to improve the security of international research cooperation

A number of guidelines and checklists exist to improve the security and integrity of international cooperation at state level and at the level of individual entities (higher education institutions and research organisations). They support stakeholders in research and innovation in weighing up risks and opportunities in their cooperation with international partners.

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Due Diligence in Science – Manual for an assessment process for the protection of science and co-operation in the international cooperation between universities and research institutions (in German)

Guidelines for a review process for<br /> protection of science and co-operation in the<br /> international co-operation between universities<br /> and research organisations

@DLR-PT

How do you actually do due diligence in science? The DLR Project Management Agency has published a manual to answer this question.
“Due diligence” describes an obligation to exercise well informed care. In the scientific context, it refers to a comprehensive analysis and examination of a planned cooperation with people or institutions, particularly with regard to objectives, strategies and ethical aspects. The term “Due Diligence in Science” and the DLR-PT manual provide clarity. Research institutions and universities can use this as a basis for establishing their own processes, responsibilities and workflows in order to safeguard their research collaborations. Download is available in English and German.

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Annotated collection of 30 examples of well-known European universities and research institutions

Cover image: Annotated collection of guidance for secure and successful international R&I cooperation

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European universities and research institutions are the cornerstone of our knowledge-based society. Their international research cooperation is a decisive factor for their success. In order to protect and maintain both excellent scientific work AND international cooperation, the institutions must establish and implement rules to protect their work. Some best practice examples for this already exist. It is precisely these examples that we have sought out, compiled and commented on.

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Annotated collection of guidelines for knowledge security

The DLR Projektträger publishes an annotated collection of guidelines, checklists and comparable documents as a reference. The collection is intended to support European stakeholders in research and innovation in their efforts to secure international cooperation.

Cover image: Annotated collection of guidance for secure and successful international R&I cooperation

@DLR-PT

The most recent update of the annotated collection was carried out in 2022. The collection covers a total of 40 recently published or updated guidelines and comparable sources from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the USA, the European Commission, and the OECD.
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Development process of the guidelines

In order to facilitate the task of finding and assessing appropriate recommendations, an analysis of recently published and publicly accessible documents to secure international cooperation in research was first carried out and published in 2021.

The publication was presented in two parts: an annotated collection of a total of 26 country-agnostic and country-specific guidelines, checklists, and other relevant documents, as well as a meta-checklist compiling guidelines and guiding questions from nine selected documents. The documents were chosen for their level of detail in covering aspects or partial aspects that have to be considered by stakeholders of the European science and technology landscape when building and maintaining international research cooperation projects. By pooling the information provided in these documents and thus combining expertise from several different countries and institutions, the meta-guidelines aim to cover most relevant aspects for safe and mutually beneficial cooperation. The document makes no claim to completeness, but is instead intended to make the access to guidelines and checklists easier for users.