Federal Policies
Government of Canada
Federal funding for research that advances a sensitive technology research area will not be provided if any of the researchers involved are affiliated with or in receipt of funding/in-kind support from an organization that can pose a risk to Canada鈥檚 national security, as identified by the Named Research Organizations list.
Named Research Organizations (NRO)
The will be updated as required by the federal government to address evolving threats to Canada鈥檚 national security, which can originate from anywhere in the world.
Researchers should keep in mind that institutions that are not included on the list may still pose a risk. As a best practice, researchers are encouraged to apply due diligence practices to mitigate risks that may be associated with any collaboration or partnership in a sensitive technology research area. Researchers and grant applicants should also consult the list regularly both at the application and post-award stages during the funding lifecycle.
Sensitive Technology Research Areas (STRA)
Below is the list of sensitive areas found on the Government of Canada website, which now applies to both the policy and the . The list includes the following 11 categories and their related subcategories. This STRA list may be updated periodically in accordance with the evolution of technologies, the military and intelligence applications of technology and national security imperatives.
Goods and Services
The federal government identifies the supply of goods and services as a vector for threat actors to steal, interfere with or gain unauthorized access to knowledge and data.
Researchers are encouraged to conduct vendor risk assessments when purchasing goods and services for their research or laboratories using the questions provided in .
Researchers should also review the following resources:
The federal government has published a series of resources to help Canadian researchers, faculties, and the general academic community familiarize themselves with research security.
NEW October 28, 2024
Five Eyes intelligence alliance members 鈥� Canada, US, UK, Australia and New Zealand 鈥� launched , a shared security advice initiative to help protect emerging technology companies, researchers and investors from a range of threats, particularly those from state actors. A guidance document from the Secure Innovation initiative on provides helpful advice to safeguard the research ecosystem.
Researchers, particularly those interested in applying for federal and/or provincial funding, are strongly encouraged to take the , which are each approximately 30鈥�40 minutes long. Completing these courses is viewed as a good first mitigation measure to address research security-related risks. There are currently three free online courses offered:
- Introduction to Research Security
- Cyber Security for Researchers
- Safeguarding Research Partnerships with Open-Source Due Diligence