The Leibniz Association’s institutes are firmly rooted in global cutting-edge research, and Leibniz researchers are constantly developing and expanding international partnerships. Cross-border collaboration opens up many opportunities, but is not risk-free.

Research security is of fundamental importance to the Leibniz Association. It means ensuring our own research does not contravene export control legislation or research ethics, but it also concerns the potential misuse or unauthorised unilateral commercial exploitation of results and technologies, and the protection of scientific reputations.

Research security — sometimes also referred to as knowledge security, operational security or risk management — touches, as a cross-cutting issue, on overarching strategic policy, resource management, information/cybersecurity, research ethics, and export control.

Leibniz Headquarters has introduced a range of support measures to help the Leibniz Institutes tackle research security independently in ways that are adapted to their individual needs. Besides a recommendation on “Research Security in International Scientific Cooperation” (PDF), these measures include an information series on research security and initial one-to-one advice.