Security risks must not ‘smother’ UK research and development

Peers debate delicate balance between collaboration and national security

Attempts to counter the national security threats that emerge from university research must be dealt with in a way that does not “smother” potentially important work, the House of Lords has heard.

A debate in the second chamber on 30 April, which looked at what steps the government is taking to protect sensitive research from potentially malign use by potentially hostile states, heard that the presence of international students and staff on campus had increased the risk of espionage.