Balancing open research with security

Open access to research data and outcomes is critical for researchers along with Canadians who benefit from new knowledge shared publicly, but how do researchers balance open science with security?

It’s a question that researchers across Canada discussed together recently at the University of Waterloo as part of a two-day conference examining “Open Research in a Changing Geo-Political Landscape,” a conference organized by Waterloo’s Office of Research, in collaboration with the UWaterloo Library, University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, and University of Ottawa. Ian Milligan, Associate Vice-President of Research Oversight & Analysis, chaired the event alongside researchers, administrators, and a librarian.

“Clearly, we need to work together. But we also need to protect and safeguard research, working in the best interests of our faculty and students. How do we strike that balance as a country, and as individual research institutions?” said Charmaine B. Dean, Vice-President, Research and International, University of Waterloo, during her opening remarks. “Some of the best science is done in collaboration with others, whether it is with colleagues across the hall or on the other side of the world.”

The participants, spanning diverse fields including government, universities, and the health care sector, explored the opportunities and barriers to furthering research. For researchers, some factors to be considered before sharing research data includes the quality of the data, who the researchers are working with, and the vision for how the data will be used. Much of the conversation grappled with the very real balancing act that researchers, as well as those who support them across funding agencies, governments, libraries, and research offices, face.

“Is it more important to have research security in terms of bilateral relationships or is it more important to have the data?” asked David Moher, Senior Scientist, The Methodological and Implementation Research program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and University of Ottawa. “You can influence public policy in a negative way by not sharing information.”

It was further discussed that, while national security is a necessary consideration for researchers who work in sensitive technology research areas, this needs to be balanced with principles of open research.

While security may sound like a barrier that hampers openness, a thoughtful approach to research security with open research in mind can help ensure that research is kept as open as possible, while still being as secure as necessary. Research security and open science are, therefore, fundamentally interconnected.

Acknowledging this delicate balance, often fueled by geopolitical tensions, Manal Bahubeshi, Vice-President, Research and Technology Partnerships, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, encouraged researchers to continue pushing the boundaries of science.

“Our goal is to raise awareness of the risks and mitigate them, all the while enabling researchers to pursue critical research, partnerships, and collaborations established with transparency and reciprocity,” said Ms. Bahubeshi. She added that, while recognizing that risks and threats can come from anywhere, it is important not to hinder the need for accessible open research that will, ultimately, drive the maximum benefit for research and Canada.

The research community, including researchers and government, need to work together to develop a culture of both openness and security. As explained by An Chi Lee, Director, Research Security, Toronto Metropolitan University, it’s similar to a neighbourhood, where the residents trust each other but also take care to secure their homes by locking the doors and ensuring their Wi-Fi is protected. This collective effort creates a stronger, safer, and prosperous community for all on the foundation of transparent, reciprocal and trusted relationships that share common goals and values.

“If we see research security as a foundational pillar to open science, we can build a better house with a greater return of investment,” said Ms. Lee, Director, Research Security, Toronto Metropolitan University.

The conference organizers are looking forward to assembling a set of principles, which will help the research community to better articulate what researchers and institutions need in our ever-changing geopolitical landscape.