OPERATE – Application to assess opportunities & risks of research cooperation
OPERATE (Operational procedure to assess opportunities and risks of international STI cooperation) is a methodical application for scientists to assess opportunities and risks when cooperating with international partners.
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Opportunities and risks in international scientific cooperation
Concerns about research security have raised uncertainties about the safe conduct of international research collaborations. While ministries and security authorities may take on a more risk-averse perspective and urge for caution, researchers are more likely to focus on the benefits that international cooperation brings to the scientific endeavour.
A balanced assessment of opportunities and risks of international STI cooperation should be carried out by the affected scientists and involved administrators. As a working aid, OPERATE is an application that aims to weigh up risks against opportunities through a systematic evaluation and discussion process, and to stimulate measures of opportunity improvement and risk minimisation.
OPERATE helps to bring all perspectives to the table and make evidence-based decisions. The stakeholders involved in the evaluation process can decide for themselves how the results are interpreted and used. The results are neither binding nor associated with obligations.
Science itself must be part of an appropriate and comprehensive review of opportunities and risks.
Download the OPERATE information flyer:
Become an Operator
OPERATE can only be used by registered users, called Operators. Operators are key personnel at higher education institutes, research centres or central agencies who plan, initiate and control individual assessments. Operators can use OPERATE free of charge.
If you want to become an Operator, please fill out the application form and send it to safeguarding-science@dlr.de.
Engage us for an OPERATE assessment
Are you interested in using OPERATE to evaluate your international research collaboration, but do not have the resources to implement it? Let us do the work! The DLR Project Management Agency offers OPERATE as a service.
You can commission us to carry out the assessment, including preparation of the requirement profile, introductory meeting, setup of the online assessment, participant management, assessment workshop and documentation.
The OPERATE procedure
The OPERATE procedure has been developed by the DLR Projektträger since 2021.
The objectives of OPERATE are
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- to provide a methodical framework to include scientists and researchers in the assessment of opportunities and risks when cooperating with international partners;
- to raise awareness and foster exchange among stakeholders in higher education, research and innovation institutions on possible opportunities and risks to make better informed decisions.
Video: An introduction to OPERATE
Who can benefit from OPERATE?
The target group are the main risk carriers, namely scientifically responsible leadership / principle investigators (PI) on various levels and those who decide on the scientific orientation and project development at universities and research organisations. Furthermore, OPERATE sensitizes scientists and administrative experts of universities and research organisations, such as departments for research funding and international cooperation.
Participants will benefit from the assessment because:
- they are directly involved in the risk assessment (administrational staff),
- can transfer the results to their remits (scientist covering the research field),
- are better trained for future cooperation decisions (scientist with regional expertise, staff from international offices).