Safeguarding Science workshop

Faculty members, staff (i.e., Research staff, Safety Office staff, Research Ethics staff, and Information Systems & Technology staff involved in research using biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear materials or technology) and students are invited to join Public Safety Canada (PSC) for the Safeguarding science workshop.

Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Time: 1-3 p.m. EST

Location: Online through Microsoft Teams. Please register below for a link to the event. 

The workshop aims to provide information and guidance to Canadian scientific and academic communities on how to mitigate threats to their research, and what those threats are. This includes information on proliferation risks (i.e. the risks of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear proliferation, and dual-use technology proliferation), cyber security, intellectual property theft, and best practices for maintaining a security-conscious research organization. It also aims to inform participants about Canada's domestic and international counter-proliferation efforts and commitments, and offers tools to help recognize and mitigate the specific risks Canadian institutions are facing.

Workshop Overview

This interactive workshop is led by a multi-disciplinary team, and includes the following components: 

• Overview of case studies involving security incidents at sensitive laboratory and research sites;
• A practical overview of key terminology;
• Methods of responsible communication of information;
• A description of insider and outsider threats to sensitive laboratory sites;
• Common challenges and approaches to securing research and related facilities;
• An overview of federal security partners’ mandates, roles, and activities;
• A description of Canada's counter-proliferation regime;
• A facilitator-led group exercise incorporating realistic running scenarios, aimed at challenging participants to react to evolving security threats;
• A concluding, “lessons learned” dialogue and;
• Distribution of an electronic resource package which includes reference documents, training, guidelines, apps, and important contacts.

More information can be found on the Safeguarding Science website.

If you have questions about the workshop, please contact Jennifer Ranford