European Flagship Conference on Research Security

From 28 to 30 October 2025, the first European Flagship Conference on Research Security will take place in Brussels. Join the debate on the development of a European approach to research security!

Openness and international collaboration are fundamental to excellence in research and innovation. However, they also expose research and innovation to security risks in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape. International research collaboration should therefore be conducted responsibly—ensuring it is both open and secure—while fully respecting academic freedom.

What strategies and good practices already exist at universities and other research-performing organisations? What role do research funders play regarding the security aspects of the projects they support? How can public authorities develop whole-of-government approaches and provide effective support for the sector? And what can the European Commission do to ensure a level playing field across the EU?

This conference is open to everyone involved in Europe’s research and innovation community, including policymakers, experts, and stakeholders from research-performing organisations, research funding organisations, business and industry, and public authorities across the EU, as well as selected international partners.

The Flagship Conference is co-organised by the European Commission and the European R&I sector through a unique collaboration with 12 European stakeholder associations: ALLEA, CESAER, Coimbra Group, EARTO, EECARO, EUA, EU-LIFE, G6, LERU, Science Europe, The Guild, and YERUN. This is primarily an in-person conference, with only limited parts available online.

On 29 October 2025, ALLEA and Science Europe will host the session titled “Not a trade-off: Integrating academic freedom and research security”.

Academic freedom and research security are often seen as separate or even conflicting priorities. However, these principles are intrinsically linked and should be mutually reinforcing. This session will explore how safeguarding academic freedom is essential to maintaining both research security and integrity, particularly in today’s rapidly evolving geopolitical and technological landscape, and how research security measures should be designed and implemented to enable international collaboration.

Building on ALLEA’s and Science Europe’s ongoing work and past collaborations, the session aims to discuss concerns on research security that may come at the expense of academic freedom, to approach misconceptions, and foster a more integrated understanding of these principles.

Experts from diverse fields, from both organisations, will share insights and propose actionable strategies to protect academic freedom while ensuring research security and upholding the highest standards of integrity.