Last updated 19 May 2025
How institutions are safeguarding their research with Dimensions Research Security
In a world where knowledge is power, safeguarding the integrity of research has become crucial. Today the stakes are high. Academic institutions are facing increasing scrutiny from governments and funding agencies as concerns grow around foreign interference, undisclosed affiliations, and threats to national and economic security. In response, institutions across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia are adopting solutions like Dimensions Research Security, not just to stay compliant, but to proactively protect their funding, reputation, and future. This growing demand reflects a broader recognition: research security is no longer optional. It is essential.
Research security, as defined by the NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance, involves protecting the research enterprise against threats to national or economic security, violations of integrity, and foreign government interference. It means safeguarding scientific research inputs, processes, and outcomes, especially in the context of increasing global competition and rising concerns about foreign influence.
However, it is not just the US where we are seeing an urgency to monitor research security. UK reports of state-sponsored attempts to infiltrate research have prompted governments and institutions to reevaluate their security measures. The UK Head of Domestic Security has announced a consultation on the issue, signalling a growing recognition of the threats facing the research community. Canadian and Australian universities have also seen a surge in the number of attempts to infiltrate research, leading the Canadian government to announce its National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships and Australia’s Research Council to offer advice to institutions on the topic.
Institutions now operate in a complex, highly interconnected environment. And so it follows that from international talent programs to foreign government-linked collaborations, there are real, growing concerns about influence and control. And the responsibility for managing this risk spans governments, funding agencies, universities, and intergovernmental organizations.
Dimensions Research Security is designed specifically for the unique and urgent challenges facing academic institutions. Built in collaboration with leading research security experts, it provides unmatched visibility into researchers’ global ties, including affiliations, collaborations, funding, and intellectual property. It is the only platform that integrates Dimensions, the world’s largest interconnected global research database to expose risks that would otherwise remain hidden.
Key capabilities include:
- Clear visibility into researchers’ international relationships: affiliations, collaborations, funders, and more
- Hidden risk detection, including dual affiliations with sanctioned entities or foreign military-linked institutions, undeclared funding, and links to foreign talent programs
- Efficient vetting of researchers, funders, and collaborators, what used to take hours can now be done in minutes with greater accuracy
- Institutional-level risk insight, i.e., seeing where vulnerabilities exist across campuses or departments
Trusted by federal funding agencies and leading research institutions, Dimensions Research Security transforms compliance from reactive to proactive
Compliance failures, even unintentional, can now result in regulatory penalties, rescinded funding, and long-term reputational harm. Institutions relying solely on self-disclosures are at risk of missing critical information.
As audit requirements tighten and external reviews grow more frequent, the cost of being unprepared is simply too high. So, research security is no longer a future concern it is a present need. And with government oversight intensifying and and risks evolving, institutions need a solution that delivers research security needs with clarity, speed, and trust. And Dimensions Research Security is that solution.
Contact the Dimensions team for a demo.
You can also get more information from the Dimensions Research Security product page, or register to watch an upcoming webinar Preparing for Research Security: What Can Academic Institutions Be Doing Right Now?