The Swedish National Audit Office states on its website that Sweden allocates extensive resources to research and often ranks highly in international measurements of innovation and digitalisation. At the same time, the Swedish Security Service assesses that intelligence activities against Swedish universities and colleges have increased and that valuable research results are being stolen, including by foreign powers. The Swedish National Audit Office is therefore conducting a review of the protection of research data at educational institutions.

The Swedish National Audit Office states on its website that Sweden allocates extensive resources to research and often ranks highly in international measurements of innovation and digitalisation. At the same time, the Swedish Security Service assesses that intelligence activities against Swedish universities and colleges have increased and that valuable research results are being stolen, including by foreign powers. The Swedish National Audit Office is therefore conducting a review of the protection of research data at educational institutions.

– Working with security issues in an environment that also depends on openness and international exchanges requires knowledge and risk awareness that is not always evident in the academic world, says Auditor General Helena Lindberg.

About the Review

Background

Successful research requires openness and collaboration, and both the Swedish Parliament and Government expect Swedish universities and colleges to operate on an international stage. This is complicated by the fact that universities and colleges often have large amounts of research data that may need protection. This can include information related to innovations, trade secrets, security, or personal data. Research data is thus a valuable information asset, and the government has noted that actors from other countries have shown undue interest in Swedish research and innovation. The aim of these attacks is, among other things, to steal knowledge and enhance their own competitiveness. According to the Swedish Security Service, intelligence activities against universities and colleges have intensified recently. The information and knowledge unlawfully obtained from the sector each year is valued at high amounts, and the dark figure is significant. There are several indications that the university and college sector has neglected information security work. For example, a relatively recent survey by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) shows that the information security work of Swedish educational institutions is generally at a low level, and according to the Swedish Security Service, knowledge about what needs protection is inadequate.

Purpose

The review aims to determine whether the educational institutions conduct effective information security work to protect research data.

Links:

https://www.riksrevisionen.se/om-riksrevisionen/kommunikation-och-media/nyhetsarkiv/2023-01-04-riksrevisionen-granskar-larosatenas-skydd-av-forskningsdata.html