Legal Framework

Countering Foreign Interference in Research and Innovation

Core reference document for an introduction to research security and institutional resilience: available for download.

Council Recommendation on Strengthening Research Security

The Council Recommendation C/2024/3510 on strengthening research security provides guidance and calls on Member States to:

  1. Develop national approaches and measures to mitigate risks related to international research cooperation;
  2. Build strategic capacities for the identification, assessment, and management of research‑security risks;
  3. Establish frameworks enabling organisations to conduct their own risk assessments (due diligence);
  4. Introduce the principle of “academic responsibility” and the obligation to develop internal policies and procedures (page 6 – “Role of research funding organisations”), according to which:

    • organisations must put in place risk‑assessment processes,
    • Member States should establish supporting national mechanisms,
    • cooperation with third countries must remain secure and risk‑informed, based on appropriate verification.

European Economic Security Strategy and the Upcoming “ERA Act”

In 2025, the European Commission announced legislative steps (as communicated by the Slovak Liaison Office for Research and Development in Brussels – SLORD, and the Slovak Rectors’ Conference) that will, for the first time, embed research security directly into EU legislation. These developments include:

  • Anchoring research security in EU law through the forthcoming European Research Area (ERA) Act, with a legislative proposal expected by the end of 2026;
  • The establishment of a European Centre of Expertise on Research Security (ECE), to be launched in 2026, serving as an open knowledge base and a platform for sharing best practices;
  • The launch of a publicly funded due diligence platform for international research cooperation, based on open data (2026);
  • The development of a common methodology for resilience testing of research organisations, aimed at identifying and mitigating potential vulnerabilities.

Principles of Responsible Internationalisation (Council of the European Union)

The Council Recommendation on strengthening research security sets out nine key principles that should underpin secure international research cooperation (page 14):

a) Academic freedom
b) Secure openness
c) Proportionality of measures
d) Protection of security and values
e) Responsibility of the research and innovation sector
f) Cross‑government and cross‑sector cooperation
g) Risk‑based, country‑agnostic approach
h) Non‑discrimination
i) Dynamic adaptation

Implications for the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS)

Slovak research organisations — including the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) — are integral parts of the European Research Area. Consequently, they:

  • will implement European recommendations related to risk assessment in international research cooperation;
  • will strengthen internal processes, including risk‑assessment procedures and research‑security guidelines;
  • will coordinate research‑security activities with national authorities;
  • will gain access to new EU‑level support instruments, including training, methodologies, and expert advisory services provided by the European Commission.