Transatlantic Big Science Conference

Context and Key Questions

Internationalization is one of the core missions of universities worldwide. The excellence of research is based on interdisciplinarity, diversity, and cross-segmental collaborations, which are fostered and accelerated through internationalization.

In view of recent geopolitical upheavals, international scientific cooperation has undergone rapid changes and faces new challenges. Against this backdrop, research security has become a matter of national security. In June 2023, Germany’s Federal Government adopted a National Security Strategy that offers an “integrated” concept of security as a centerpiece of its scope. The strategy emphasizes the role of science and research and their importance as the basis for Germany’s innovative strength and technological sovereignty.

For universities and research institutions, it is, therefore, of central importance to review existing or future international collaborations. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and more specifically its central coordination point for international academic collaboration, KIWi, has played a significant role in promoting exchange and peer learning and establishing guidelines for German universities on how to deal with security risks while fostering internationalization on a structural, institutional, and research level.

The DAAD’s position is that international exchange and academic and research cooperation should be interest-orientated, value-based, and risk-reflective. This requires, among other things, being sensitized to risks and knowing how to minimize them in practice.

De-risking concerns in Germany must be considered in the context of open science, university autonomy, and academic freedom—all of which are highly prized under the country’s federal structure and anchored in the German constitution. At the same time, the legality and viability of de-risking measures can be legitimately threatened by a diverse level of protection at the EU level, especially in the Schengen open borders area. De-risking procedures may be more consistent and reliable if the European Research Area (ERA) was subject to proposed rules for a similar degree of protection.

What does this mean for universities and Research Institutions in practice? How can institutions learn from each other on a national, European, and transatlantic level? What impact do different approaches to Security Issues have among European partners and on transatlantic cooperations in HE? How can political ambitions, internationalization missions, and security concerns be prioritized, balanced, and communicated?

This international thematic table aims to bring together German, European and North American perspectives and discuss European and transatlantic approaches, best practices and strategies to learn from each other, define common interests and foster strong attitudes towards reflective recommendations for action.