Simon Linacre
Head of Content, Brand & Press, Digital Science
Steve Leicht
President, Digital Science
Recent news highlights security threats impacting research. Although these issues occurred outside Ireland, the interconnected nature of modern research requires universities, funders and the Government to mitigate this emerging global threat.
The Irish Government has boosted the budget for higher education to over €4 billion in 2024, aiming to enhance research and teaching capabilities.
Collaboration and research security
Importantly, as collaboration between universities from different countries has become easier, what guarantees are there that research investments align with national security? A recent report exposed a controversial research collaboration between the US, UK, Australia and an Iranian university with military ties, which led to advancements in drone technology. The research raised concerns from security and international politics experts.
Enhanced research security insights
Such research risks can be avoided with the use of Dimensions Research Security. Dimensions is the world’s largest collection of linked research data. Institutions’ research activities and the activities of individual researchers can be collated, linked and cross-referenced quickly and easily using Dimensions Research Security.
It uses a simple dashboard that delivers analytics and insights to grant the user control over the data that is most important to them, covering a range of security issues. Identifying these insights increases awareness of risks related to individuals, their collaborators and their funding sources. This enhances due diligence, verification of disclosures and strategic decision-making and strengthens data governance for research security.
Dimensions Research Security’s information is crucial for researchers to understand potential risks to their work and sponsors. Addressing issues like compliance, foreign influence and intellectual property theft can safeguard everyone’s interests.
Impact of artificial intelligence
Research security goes beyond just collaborations; recent AI advancements show that AI can now write significant research papers and perform complex tasks, potentially saving time and money. However, this raises concerns about research validity, integrity and accountability.
Digital Science President Steve Leitch says that as AI and its multifaceted uses continue to grow rapidly, governments and agencies must collaborate with AI solution providers to drive progress for all concerned. To support governments, funders and researchers, Digital Science launched Dimensions Research GPT in February 2024. Built on Dimensions, it provides answers from its extensive database. Dimensions also introduced a feature, which delivers summarisations to all search queries on the database.
Integrations will be key
AI offers diverse applications but isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. When used responsibly, it can greatly enhance efficiency and research workflows. However, concerns about AI, especially in government, include over-reliance, biases, job losses and potential misuse. As research security gains importance, collaborating with trusted technology partners is crucial for mitigating risks.
Find out more about Dimensions Research Security or contact the Dimensions team for a demo.
