Rustam Rakhmanov is the Business Analyst for the TReSI (Trusted Research and Secure Innovation) Network project. He leads on analysing data and developing tools for the project to deliver strategic and operational change for partner universities.
Rustam recently attended the Higher Education Research Security Association (HERSA) Conference, meeting people from around the UK and beyond who are working to strengthen trusted research practices.
Attending the HERSA conference, I was struck by how consistently the same challenge came up in different conversations. People understand the importance of trusted research, but many are still figuring out how to apply it in practice.
Speaking with colleagues from universities, government and industry made it clear that the need for straightforward, practical guidance is shared – and growing.
A sector coming together
The HERSA conference is an opportunity to meet people working across research security roles to share common challenges and explore solutions.
Attendees ranged from university staff working on trusted research, including researchers and research support staff, to industry sponsors, government departments and funders.
Attending the conference showed me that regardless of the size of the organisation or experience of trusted research, the challenges are quite similar.
I was immediately struck by the willingness to work together and share expertise. I was impressed to see more experienced universities offering support in terms of sharing materials with smaller organisations starting to implement trusted research practices.
The growing challenge for trusted research
It was clear from the conference that people are struggling to apply complex legislation in their daily jobs.
They are aware of the legislation, the frameworks and things like how and when to apply for export licences. However, when it comes to their day-to-day tasks, they struggle because they don’t have resources they can rely on to clearly guide them through the many required considerations.
Added to this, risk factors for international research collaborations are evolving as the world changes around us. We can see this in the continuous developments around technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and in the regular shifts in geopolitical relations.
We need tools that respond appropriately and flexibly to these changes.
Taking a wider perspective
One of the most useful aspects of the conference was that participants came from beyond research security roles in UK universities.
There were presentations from UK government and funder organisations, who gave updates on where they are in terms of legislation and regulations.
We heard from the government’s Research Collaboration Advice Team (RCAT), from the Business and Trade Committee, from the Ministry of Defence and from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
I was impressed with their involvement, listening to practical needs on the ground to feed back into the process. They emphasised they are involved, listening and ready to collaborate.
We had international perspectives from research security colleagues in Canada, EU, Ireland and the USA, who are key partners for UK research. Being aware of how we can work across international regulations to advance shared research collaborations added another dimension to the discussions.
There was also the opportunity to meet with the conference sponsors, companies like Infonetica, Digital Science, Kharon and Strider. I had very useful conversations with their representatives, which helped me better understand how universities can use their research security tools.
The need to tackle misconceptions
I was interested to hear from academic colleagues who presented their research on trusted research and how it’s implemented in UK universities.
They found that many researchers believe trusted research practices are limiting their international collaboration opportunities.
Researchers want to meet and work with academic colleagues from around the world to share knowledge and ideas. Many are under the impression that the trusted research regulations limit this, stopping them from looking at certain topics or collaborating internationally at all.
We need to help researchers view trusted research as a positive development that only makes their research more secure. We can do this with the help of easy-to-use guidance and practical support to evaluate risks.
Positive steps for UK-wide resources
HERSA and RCAT outlined their plans to release two separate e-learning modules, which are eagerly awaited.
RCAT is also developing a new strategy statement, which will help to better define risk and how we approach it in academia.
As well as these developments, HERSA is working on launching a UK-wide network by establishing a Trusted Research Hub for sharing issues and approaches.
Turning insight into action at TReSI
I chose to attend the conference sessions that were most relevant for the TReSI project, exploring areas like designing sector-wide support for trusted research and how to apply the National Security Investment (NSI) Act in practice.
What I heard consistently in these sessions clearly validated the need for our project. All universities are facing similar challenges, struggling to find the best way to meet the regulations.
This is exactly what we aim to provide through our project, delivering tools for practitioners to guide them through this complex process.
We will also help with the demand for sharing expertise and knowledge, working closely with our network of Scottish universities.
The conference was a great learning experience, and it really helped shine a light on the need for projects like the TReSI Network.
Useful links
The Higher Education Security Research Association (HERSA)
Research Collaboration Advice Team (RCAT)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)