Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) Research Security Policy

On this page

• Overview
• Policy and Guidelines
• Context
• Guiding Principles
• Direction
• Implementation
• Conclusion

Overview

Purpose

This Policy commits DRDC to the protection of scientific research and associated Crown intellectual property from economic and national security threats, whether the research is conducted internally or in collaboration with external partners, as it relates to national defence and security^{Return to footnote 1}.

Scope

This Policy is for all DRDC personnel, which is defined as employees in the Public Service on a full-time, part-time, seasonal, term or casual basis, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members within DRDC, students, or others retained by DRDC on an external contract.

Procedure

To support implementation, companion documents to this Policy will provide detailed guidance, procedures, and supporting tools and forms. Together, these materials will give practical direction to help personnel understand and meet research security expectations in their day-to-day research activities.

Effective Date

This Policy will take effect on 13 October 2026.

Policy and Guidelines

Definitions

• Research security: The ability to identify possible risks to research work through unwanted access, interference, inadvertent disclosure or theft and the measures that minimize these risks and protect the inputs, processes, and products that are part of scientific research and discovery^{Return to footnote 2}.
• Sensitive Technologies: Technologies (including intangible technology/know-how) that are emerging or have novel applications or capabilities, and those that can uplift adversarial advantage, the transfer of which could cause injury to Canada's national security and defence through:
  • Canadian or allied military degradation or enhancement of adversarial military capability (i.e. dual-use, or having both civilian/commercial and military uses); and
  • Canadian or allied intelligence degradation or enhancement of adversarial intelligence capability.
• Canada’s Sensitive Technology List identifies what constitutes such a technology^{Return to footnote 3}. In addition to the technology itself being sensitive, consideration of the specific deployment scenario or application is also an important factor in determining whether the use of such technology could cause injury to Canada's national security or defence.
• Affiliation of Concern: An affiliation with, or receipt of funding or in-kind support from, a university, research institute, laboratory, or other organization connected to military, national defence, or state or non-state entities that could pose a risk to Canada’s national security or defence. The list of Named Research Organizations^{Return to footnote 4} provides guidance as to what constitutes research organizations of concern. Individuals are considered affiliated with any organization at which they are employed, appointed, or conduct research^{Return to footnote 5}.

Context

As articulated in Canada’s Defence Policy, Our North, Strong and Free^{Return to footnote 6}, new challenges to global stability and accelerating advances in technology are some of the key factors affecting the foundations of Canadian security and prosperity. Research security lies at the intersection of these critical developments.

Our adversaries seek to target and take advantage of Canada’s world-class research ecosystem to advance their military, economic and strategic objectives, including through intellectual property theft and illicit access to information related to sensitive research and technologies and the disruption of research. These activities pose not only a threat to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (the Defence Team), but also to Canada’s defence industrial base, technology ecosystem, economic security, long-term economic prosperity, and Canada’s ability to retain and advance Canada’s national defence and security^{Return to footnote 7}. The trust of Canadians and Canada’s allies and partners are dependent on our ability and willingness to respond to these challenges. Research security is therefore a paramount concern within the Government of Canada, and especially within the Defence Team, which is responsible for Canada’s defence and security.

The Government has issued directives to a select number of federally funded private sector partnership programs to protect Canada’s research through the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP)^{Return to footnote 8}. In addition, the Policy on Sensitive Technologies and Research Affiliations of Concern (STRAC Policy)^{Return to footnote 9} was developed for applications advancing a sensitive technology research area that are submitted by an academic institution or affiliated research facility to the Canada Foundation for Innovation or the federal granting agencies – the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Although the NSGRP and STRAC currently do not apply to the Defence Team, DRDC recognizes the need to incorporate key elements from these frameworks to safeguard the Defence Team’s valuable research and associated Crown intellectual property.

Guiding Principles

In meeting its commitment to safeguard scientific research, DRDC will be guided by the following principles:

• Respect for Values and Ethics: DRDC personnel will be guided by the Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces Code of Values and Ethics^{Return to footnote 10} or through the Code of Conduct for Procurement^{Return to footnote 11}. DRDC will ensure that processes are designed to support respectful collaboration, unbiased decision-making, and do not target or profile any group of people or country.
• Scientific Integrity: DRDC personnel will adhere to the principles of the Science Integrity Policy^{Return to footnote 12}.
• Protecting Intellectual Property: DRDC will ensure appropriate management and protection of intellectual property and of disclosure of DRDC knowledge and technology to external parties^{Return to footnote 13}.
• Safeguarding Information: DRDC will safeguard classified and protected information in accordance with legislation, regulations, and any other applicable policy, direction or orders^{Return to footnote 14}.
• Risk Assessment and Mitigation: DRDC will implement robust procedures for assessing and mitigating risks associated with external research partnerships.
• Open Science: In accordance with the DND/CAF Open Science Action Plan^{Return to footnote 15}, DRDC recognizes that security will take precedence over Open-by-Default principles. This means that although scientific inputs, outputs and processes should be available to all Canadians with minimal restrictions, it is not ‘open without exception’. Open-by-default principles are also subject to full respect for privacy, security, ethical considerations and ensuring appropriate intellectual property rights and protections.
• Open Collaboration and Transparency: DRDC will encourage transparent and secure collaboration with external academic and industry partners, both domestically and internationally, where possible.
• Respect for Academic Freedom: Although research security takes precedence, DRDC will uphold principles of academic freedom to the greatest extent possible.

Direction

DRDC is committed to the safeguarding of scientific research, whether conducted internally, in collaboration with partners, or funded by DRDC. To this end, in addition to meeting all other relevant security requirements, DRDC personnel will take action in the following areas:

1. Increasing awareness of research security: DRDC personnel must maintain awareness of the sensitivity of their research, especially when it relates to Sensitive Technologies, and the associated potential risks to national defence or security caused by the inadvertent transfer or disclosure of their work. They must also be able to apply the necessary security guidelines and associated control measures, in consultation with management or the chain of command and DRDC security officials, to safeguard scientific research. They must complete all security training that is mandated by the DRDC Chief of Staff, in accordance with prescribed timelines, and comply with any reporting obligations. Further direction on mandatory training will be provided in companion documentation.
2. Assessing risks and developing mitigation strategies: DRDC personnel must identify and assess potential risks that DRDC partnerships may pose to Canada’s national defence or security and develop effective mitigation measures. In cases where DRDC is working with external partners, whether or not the collaboration includes funding, DRDC personnel must be aware of and assess the external partner’s goals and objectives for the shared research outcomes. This includes any potential risk of disclosure or transfer of the research knowledge or results to a foreign government, military, their proxies, or other actors, where doing so may harm Canada’s national defence or security interests. Identified security concerns must be escalated and acceptable mitigation measures put in place before the partnership is pursued, or in the course of the partnership as such concerns are identified. Vigilance is not limited to the initial vetting at the onset of a collaboration but should be a process that continues throughout a collaboration. Detailed guidance on these matters, including risk assessment, escalation procedures and attestation documentation, will be provided in companion documentation.
3. Safeguarding collaborations and funding: DRDC personnel must take steps to ensure that DRDC does not provide funding to, or collaborate with, individuals or organizations who are affiliated with, or in receipt of funding or in-kind support from, a university, research institute, laboratory, or other organization connected to military, national defence, or state or non-state entities that could pose a risk to Canada’s national security or national defence. Any exceptions must be approved by ADM(DRDC). The Named Research Organizations (NRO) list includes guidance as to what constitutes an organization of concern^{Return to footnote 16}. Organizations or individuals that have raised concerns in the course of due diligence, but are not named in the list, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Detailed guidance on these matters, including an escalation process for security-related issues, will be provided in companion documentation.

Implementation

Implementing this Policy and strengthening research security at DRDC will require a team-driven, coordinated approach. All DRDC personnel, even those who are not directly involved in scientific research activities, are expected to contribute to an enhanced culture of security at DRDC. Specific roles and responsibilities, including on the reporting of identified risks, will be detailed in companion documentation.

Awareness and training are key underpinning elements that will be central to the success of this Policy. DRDC will provide mandatory training to DRDC personnel on security protocols, risk assessment, and mitigation strategies, as applicable. DRDC will also leverage existing training and awareness resources. Resources include, but are not limited to, the Safeguarding Your Research portal^{Return to footnote 17}, the Safeguarding Science Initiative^{Return to footnote 18}, the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships^{Return to footnote 19}, Canada’s Sensitive Technology List^{Return to footnote 20}, and information provided by Public Safety Canada’s Research Security Centre^{Return to footnote 21}.

In implementing this Policy, DRDC personnel will regularly monitor and review DRDC research activities and external partnerships for potential security risks. Tools and detailed guidance to support this will be developed and shared with personnel.

All cases of non-compliance with this Policy by DRDC personnel will be reported to management and consequences may include mandatory training, suspension of DRDC research activity, termination of DRDC collaboration or funding, or other administrative measures, depending on the severity of the infraction. More information on the escalation and compliance process will be found in companion documentation.

DRDC’s Research and Development Executive Committee (RDEC) will provide oversight and direction as required.

Conclusion

In a time marked by unprecedented advances in technology and cutting-edge research, as well as a sustained effort by our adversaries to disregard well-established rules and norms related to science and research, DRDC cannot fail to act. DRDC will set and maintain a high standard for excellence in research security. DRDC’s commitment to strengthen its research security posture, in accordance with the above guiding principles, will help ensure that it continues to enhance Canada’s overall defence and security posture and position itself well for success in the coming years.

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