CCA to assess strategies for identifying and securing dual-use research

Through its commitment to open science, the Government of Canada facilitates collaborative research and innovation to address our most complex societal challenges. However, the practice of open science must consider research security, to protect against uses of civilian research that might undermine Canadian interests. Those considerations include dual-use research of concern (DURC)—information, products, and processes that are intended to serve the public interest, but may be used for malicious purposes, including threats to public health, safety, or security.

To support both Canada’s open-science commitments and research-security obligations, the CCA will undertake a new assessment on DURC. Researchers in Canada require strategies for the proactive identification and ongoing management of DURC, to safeguard critical information throughout the Canadian research system. CCA’s assessment will examine approaches to identifying and protecting DURC, to inform strategies that could promote research security while balancing open science and innovation priorities.

A multidisciplinary expert panel drawn from academia, the private sector, and the research community will be convened in the coming months.

Sponsor: Defence Research and Development Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, with nine supporting departments