As Open as Necessary? Research Security, Academic Freedom and the Geopolitics of Science

Vetting researchers, screening funding, and restricting dual-use fields show how science has moved to the heart of national security concerns. Within the EU, “research security” has become central to the strategic autonomy agenda, aiming to protect research from espionage, IP theft, and undue foreign influence. Yet securitising science also risks expanding political control and subordinating research to security and market logics. As such, Article 13 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights must be interpreted to protect academic freedom not only from direct state interference, but also from this subtler colonisation by political and economic systems.