Safeguarding Science – Module 7: Conducting Open-Source Due-Diligence – Oct 1, 2025

Session Description

Module 7 (English) 

This module provides an overview of open-source due-diligence techniques for researchers to use when evaluating the risks related to their potential partners. The outcome of this module will enhance researchers’ ability to find relevant information using open-source methods.

Safeguarding Science Workshop Series
Canada is a leader in innovation, research and development, thanks to the research community’s commitment to open science and international collaboration. However, this commitment has the potential to be exploited, leading to loss of expertise and trade secrets, damage to the integrity of Canadian academic and research institutions, and lost publication and patent opportunities. This loss has national and economic security implications, particularly if the knowledge is sensitive or has potential military applications.

To raise awareness of research security issues, Public Safety’s Research Security Centre offers Safeguarding Science, a 90-minute workshop. The workshop focuses on:

• best practices in maintaining a security-conscious research organization
• research security guidance and tools to help recognize and mitigate risks to Canadian researchers and institutions
• understanding of sensitive technology and how to recognize dual-use technology

This workshop is offered both virtually and in-person and is recommended as an introduction to the topic of research security. Additional modules offering a deeper dive into research security-related topics are also available.

Who should attend
Safeguarding Science is intended for researchers, research staff (including technicians, postdoctoral fellows and students), research security professionals, research administrators, information technology and information management staff, security personnel, biosafety and radiological safety officers, human resources personnel, supply chain personnel and senior management.

Learning Outcomes
The goal of the workshop is for participants to:

• Access guidance and tools to strengthen their security posture
• Understand best practices to identify and mitigate research security threats
• Pursue and maintain safe research partnerships
• Maintain institutional reputation as a safe research organization
• Protect valuable research, data or potentially patentable property

All Modules 

• Module 1: Safeguarding Science: Raising Awareness of Security Risks and Mitigation Tools in the Research Ecosystem
• Module 2: Dual-Use Technologies: Know Your Research – Know your Partners – Assess the Risk
• Module 3: Demystifying the International Student Immigration Process
• Module 4: Know before you Export: Canada’s Export and Brokering Controls
• Module 5: Sanctions 101 | Global Affairs Canada
• Module 6: Travelling Safely: Protecting Your Research While Travelling Abroad
• Module 7: Conducting Open-Source Due-Diligence

Full details and modules are available online.