By Cate Willis
Research security workshops at the University of Guelph are helping researchers protect funding, navigate evolving requirements and avoid disruptions to their projects in a changing global environment.
As research security expectations expand and international partnerships grow more complex, researchers are increasingly expected to demonstrate due diligence in how they design projects, select collaborators and manage research outcomes.
The Research Services Office (RSO), through its Research Risk Management team, supports researchers by identifying and managing potential funding, partnership and research security risks early. Through workshops and briefings that provide practical examples and policy context, the team helps ensure projects can move forward without delays or surprises.
“As research security requirements evolve and partnerships grow more complex, researchers are expected to demonstrate due diligence,” says Jennifer Wesley, manager, research risk. “Our team helps ensure proposals align with funder expectations and avoid unnecessary delays.”
Advancing Proactive Research Security
Over the past year, the team has offered a coordinated series of sessions reflecting the full research security lifecycle, from early partner due diligence to understanding legal obligations and aligning with evolving policy.
One workshop, Introduction to Partner Due Diligence, helped research support staff understand how partners are reviewed by funders and research security teams, how to identify potential red flags and when to raise concerns before collaborations are finalized or proposals submitted. The session introduced open-source intelligence tools and demonstrated how publicly available information can inform partner assessments.
“This workshop helped move research security from crisis response to proactive planning, which ultimately saves time, protects funding and allows research to proceed with confidence,” says Wesley.
In December 2024, the University also hosted representatives from Public Safety Canada’s Research Security Centre for in-person briefings and a Safeguarding Science workshop. These sessions explained how federal policies such as Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) are shaping expectations for research design and collaboration and provided practical guidance on recognizing and mitigating potential risks.
“Together, these sessions reflect a proactive approach to research security at U of G, building shared understanding across the research community and helping projects move forward confidently in an evolving policy landscape,” says Wesley.
The Government of Canada's Research Support Fund is an important source of funding for support of research facilities, research resources, management and administration of the University of Guelph's research enterprise, regulatory requirements and intellectual property and knowledge mobilization.
