Join the third session of the Arqus research security webinar series: AI and cybersecurity – Insights into current policies

The third session of the “Research Security webinar series: AI and cybersecurity” will take place on Tuesday, 5 May, from 13:30–15:30 CEST on Microsoft Teams, and it is titled “Insights into current policies”. 

As part of Vilnius University’s efforts, alongside other Arqus universities, to raise awareness of and improve institutional practices related to research security across the Alliance, its University Department for Research and Innovation is organising a webinar on research security to raise awareness of current risks and promote best practices for safeguarding research activities. 

In this session, participants will have the opportunity to explore with two experts the strategic and practical dimensions of research security, offering insights into emerging challenges and institutional responses, divided into two different presentations. 

Both presentations are aimed at researchers and administrators, as well as all those involved in research governance, compliance and international collaboration. 

The balancing act: Securing global research within a shifting geopolitical environment, by Yoran Beldengrün

In this presentation, Yoran Beldengrün will provide an overview of how research security can be framed conceptually and of the current threats to international scientific collaboration. 

He will present data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to demonstrate the increasing number of policy initiatives related to research security, and highlight a significant policy shift, where science and technology are not only recognised as drivers of innovation, but also as critical components of national and economic security. 

During the session, he will also demonstrate that such policies must be balanced with other priorities, including academic freedom and open science, and developed and implemented in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders and interest groups. This will ensure that this balancing act successfully leads member states to develop clearer guidance, better-defined roles, stronger coordination mechanisms, and greater capacity building. 

The University of Toronto approach to the Canadian research security landscape, by Paul Jarrett

In this presentation, Paul Jarrett will discuss the Canadian research security system at the federal and subnational levels, and the approach taken by the University of Toronto to support its research ecosystem. 

Topics to be explored include: team structure, background, researcher engagement, due diligence/open source analysis, travel and device security, procurement/supply, chain risks, secure innovation and case studies.

About the speakers

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Yoran Beldengrün is a Policy Analyst within the OECD Global Science Forum, currently focusing on research security, research integrity and the environmental impact of research. 

Drawing on his broad background in pharmaceutical sciences, science policy, science diplomacy, grassroots science engagement and strategic consulting, he has worked across international organisations, NGOs, an embassy, government agency, the private sector and academia to connect science with policy, society and global cooperation. 

Paul Jarrett leads the University of Toronto’s Research Security Team, which provides research and geopolitical security advice to the university’s research community and partners.

He is active in global and national community building in research security, and has worked as a Senior Advisor to the Ontario Government at the Office of the Provincial Security Advisor and in Canada’s national security community for over a decade.  

Paul holds a Bachelor/Master’s from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master’s from the Australian National University.