Research security policy needs clear guidelines.

Abstract

Research security policies are emerging across nations seeking to protect their national interests in response to geopolitical shifts. Yet governments impose disclosure requirements and threaten penalties while offering little guidance on the vast gray zone of cross-border collaborations that could invite retribution. A chill sets in among researchers. If the community does not act, the result will be scientific fragmentation at a moment when global challenges demand cooperation. That serves neither security nor innovation.