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International collaborations: "Be as open as possible, but as careful as necessary"

Vice dean David Gisselsson Nord. Photograph.
Photo: Agata Garpenlind

The security situation in the world is volatile now and sometimes changes from day to day. How should we manage our international contacts and exchanges in this context? Vice Dean David Gisselsson Nord gives us guidance on how to act.

What do we mean by responsible internationalisation?
"Responsible international cooperation means assessing opportunities versus risks before each cooperation. This also means that it may be necessary sometimes  to re-evaluate collaborations that are already in place. You should not only think about your own research or teaching environment. It is also necessary to put the collaboration in a larger context, which also includes Lund University and eventually also Sweden's interests."

How should I go about working responsibly with international contacts?
"It's all about being as open as possible but as careful as necessary, considering risks such as the protection of personal data, patent rights and the risk of violating the University's values by, for example, giving legitimacy to regimes that do not respect democratic principles."

What help can I get when I want to work with international collaborations?
"To know how to think about risk assessment, you can consult the Faculty's checklist for responsible internationalisation. It states which rules to keep in mind and we also describe other factors that are important in a risk assessment. The vast majority of collaborations are completely uncontroversial and can be risk assessed at research group level. When it comes to low-grade collaborations such as inviting someone to a conference or co-publishing, we see that academic freedom takes precedence over most risks. However, when a collaboration is of a type that is formalised by agreements, financial transactions or if a visiting researcher is given access to our premises, a risk assessment should be made if it is a country outside the EU or the union's close partners."

How should I handle sensitive information on my computer or phone when traveling?
"As for your computer – do not leave it unattended, use a VPN and keep in mind that open wi-fi networks are extra vulnerable to intrusion. But if a resourceful actor wants to access your information, it is still almost impossible to protect yourself. Of course, the best thing is not to bring any sensitive information with you at all. At the same time, we all inevitably travel with a lot of information about ourselves every time we travel with our mobile phones. You should be extra careful if you travel to countries with totalitarian regimes or countries where there are signs of opinion registration of immigrants."

To facilitate information security for trips to problematic countries or environments, the Faculty has now acquired empty computers and mobile phones for lending. If you want to borrow them for a trip, you should have made a risk assessment and been in contact with the Faculty of Medicine's International Council (MIR) or with me to get a go-ahead."

Who can I contact if I have questions about international collaborations?
"It’s not reasonable to ask that an individual Head of research group or a Head of Department should be able to risk assess all collaborations, even if the checklist goes a long way. For difficult questions, please contact the Faculty of Medicine's International Council (MIR). MIR can in turn take the matter to the University's management. For difficult and urgent questions, you can contact me directly."

How to borrow a temporary phone or computer

Under the tab Support & tools --> Computers, IT & telephony here on Intramed you can find instructions on what you need to do to borrow a temporary phone or computer when you travel abroad.