Files and links (1)
Australia risks falling behind allies on research security. Will it take a spy scandal in our universities to catch up?
Published (Version of record)CC BY-ND V4.0, Open
Magazine article
Australia risks falling behind allies on research security. Will it take a spy scandal in our universities to catch up?
The Conversation
23/01/2024
Metrics
49 Record Views
Abstract
Late last year, a PhD student named Yuekang Li was refused a study visa to enter Canada. Why? Canada’s Federal Court was concerned he could be “targeted and coerced into providing information that would be detrimental to Canada”.
Li wasn’t the only one. Earlier this month, Iranian computer engineering student Reza Jahantigh was denied a visa to study his PhD in Canada, because of his previous service in the Iranian military. Some observers have called the decisions “deeply unhelpful”, and said they risked the prospects of future international students coming to Canada.
Despite such criticisms, Canada is at the forefront of an international charge for stricter “research security” – the idea of protecting certain university courses and research programs from espionage, foreign interference and technology theft.
While countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are moving swiftly to make their research more secure, Australia lags behind. And our need for research security is only set to grow.
Details
- Title
- Australia risks falling behind allies on research security. Will it take a spy scandal in our universities to catch up?
- Creators
- Brendan Walker-Munro
- Publication Details
- The Conversation
- Publisher
- The Conversation Media Group; Australia
- Identifiers
- 991013167310202368
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Business, Law and Arts
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Magazine article