Göttingen International

Risks and guidance for acting safely in an international context

The following content highlights possible risks in international cooperation and gives tips on how to minimize these risks. The aim is to facilitate international cooperation and create a secure basis for cooperation for all parties involved.

    In international research and teaching collaboration:

  • Knowing or unknowing violation of export control regulations or the Nagoya protocol (which is an additional protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity), for which researchers are personally held accountable. In particular: application and further processing of research results (i) for military or industrial-military purposes or for the development of technologies that can be used for military offensive purposes; (ii) that contribute to the violation of human rights; (iii) disregarding existing EU sanctions.

  • Knowledge and data leakage or scientific espionage. In particular: (i) misuse of sensitive personal, university or research data, for instance through appropriation of this data for ideological purposes; (ii) stealing of research results or intellectual property, including the unauthorized publication or use of research findings, data, or other materials, such as teaching materials, without proper credit or authorization; (iii) cyberattacks involving data theft, blackmail, and ransomware; (iv) blackmailing resulting from compromising sensitive knowledge or personal dependencies.

  • Infringement of the Legal Framework of EU Data Protection.

  • Risks to students involved in the collaboration, such as digital harassment, as well as online bullying.

    In international travels :

  • Diplomatic sanctions (e.g. refusal of entry or exit), individual fines or imprisonment owing to fewer academic freedoms and limited freedom of speech.

  • Risk of harm or exploitation to travelling students involved in the collaboration, including digital harassment or physical harm, imprisonment as well as individual fines.

  • Natural disasters, political upheaval or personal harm while abroad.

    In international research and teaching collaboration:

  • Comply with export control regulations and the Nagoya protocol. In particular: (i) Determine and fix in the form of a written contract how research results will be used in the partner country to ensure that your research will not contribute to industrial and military developments that can be used for offensive purposes or that risk violating human rights. (ii) When receiving requests of interest from countries on the EU sanctions list.

  • Be well-acquainted with requirements of the funding organizations funding your project.

  • Take precautions towards data protection when sharing data and research results before publication. In particular: (i) Do not share any research data without a formal collaboration agreement, in particular to adress licensing issues. (ii) Share only data that is necessary for your collaboration. (iii) Prior to publication share data only via safe channels. For questions regarding secure research data management, you can contact the eResearch Alliance and for questions about the services offered by the GWDG, you can contact their Support.

  • Consider the potential risks associated with the appropriation of collaborations and projects for ideological purposes.

  • Be careful when accepting awards, decorations, medals of merit, etc., as these can be used to co-opt you. Check the reputation of the awarding institution.

  • For queries, Göttingen International (contact details below), DAAD-Kompetenzzentrum Internationale Wissenschaftskooperationen (KIWi) and DAAD offices abroad give advice.

    When travelling:

  • Check the website of the Federal Foreign Office for travel and security advice and the Betriebsärztlicher Dienst for advice on innoculations and other health queries.

  • Register (yourself and, if applicable, your staff and students) on Elefand when travelling, and be sure your contact details and itinerary are known by a contact person at the University.

  • Check the Academic Freedom Index of the country you will be traveling to. If it is a country with a low Academic Freedom Index, inform yourself about the limits of freedom of speech in that country and adhere to these limits, for example by not participating in demonstrations or signing statements while you are in that country.

  • Consider bringing a "data-cleaned" laptop and smartphone to an international setting.

  • Never leave your devices unattended during your trip, as malware can be quickly installed and in many cases cannot be detected by IT services after your return.

  • Exercise due caution when accepting gifts and offers and inform yourself about caps on gifts.

  • Be careful not to ask for anything or to create dependencies and conflicts of interest if you are offered services as part of a collaboration.

    University members in leadership positions have additional responsibilities towards their team:

    • Provide guidance and tailored technical support on data and digital security to help manage surveillance risks.
    • Set up an emergency procedure to deal with cases of harassment, detention or disappearance.
    • Create awareness and understanding among students and staff of how repressive settings can affect academic freedom and introduce standards within the team when collaborating with partners in repressive settings.

The DAAD has also addressed the "altered geopolitical situation" and the question of "how to handle potential risks in a way that ensures scientific freedom and capitalizes on the opportunities of international cooperation". The DAAD's Centre for International Academic Cooperation (KIWi) developed the KIWi Checklist for Knowledge Security (website currently available in German only), a self-assessment tool for security-relevant dimensions of international scientific cooperation.


Questions can be addressed to: international@uni-goettingen.de