As artificial intelligence transforms research methods and global scientific collaboration becomes more interconnected, ensuring the security and integrity of research has become a core responsibility for institutions, funders, and governments worldwide. With this rising complexity, solutions like Dimensions Research Security are playing a critical role in helping organizations understand potential vulnerabilities in funding, partnerships, or personnel, and take proactive steps to mitigate them.
In response to these growing concerns, several national initiatives have emerged. In the United States, for instance, the National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) introduced a unified framework to safeguard federally funded research from foreign interference while preserving the openness essential to scientific progress. Building on that, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released formal guidance that requires research institutions receiving federal funds to establish and certify research security programs. Meanwhile, agencies such as the Department of Defense and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) are developing tools and resources to help identify, assess, and manage emerging research risks.
While regulations and expectations continue to evolve globally, one thing remains clear: research organizations must be equipped to know who they’re funding and protect research from hidden risks. And this is a challenge that calls for robust, data-driven support.
The role of Dimensions Research Security
Dimensions Research Security, a specialized solution within Dimensions by Digital Science, is designed to meet this challenge directly. It enables research institutions, funders, and government agencies to evaluate research activities through the lens of security by tracing affiliations, funding histories, and collaboration networks to identify potential exposure or conflict.
By integrating trusted research compliance workflows and risk-based insights, Dimensions helps organizations strengthen their oversight processes while continuing to support impactful, collaborative research.
A data-driven approach to responsible research
A defining feature of Dimensions is its uniquely comprehensive and connected dataset. The platform offers:
- Over 25 million researcher profiles
- Visibility into $2.7 trillion in global research funding
- Citation linkages across 167 million patents and 2 million policy documents
These data points are structured to surface patterns and anomalies, helping institutions and agencies make informed decisions about funding allocation, strategic partnerships, and risk mitigation.
Supporting a global shift toward secure, ethical research
In a webinar co-hosted by Digital Science and Times Higher Education, experts from academia and policy highlighted the increasing importance of research security in the context of AI, open data, and evolving national security concerns. As Shannon O’Reilly of Digital Science noted, “Universities have to increasingly take proactive measures to assess institutional risks, verify disclosures, and review researcher networks… The complexity of these issues means institutions can’t operate on their own.”
With these challenges in mind, Dimensions Research Security provides a vital layer of intelligence and accountability: empowering institutions to stay ahead of potential risks while maintaining their commitment to openness and innovation.
If you have questions about how Dimensions Research Security could help you, contact the Dimensions team for a demo.
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