Nevil Reinfeldt: espionage cases in science are increasing, but experience alone does not make an expert

Research security has become a pressing topic that many wish to address, writes Nevil Reinfeldt, research security expert at the Internal Security Academy. Knowledge, technology and people have become strategic resources targeted by competitors and hostile forces. Reinfeldt warns that the seriousness of the issue must not be underestimated or approached superficially.

Internal Security Academy research security expert Nevil Reinfeldt raises an important question: how can we ensure the security of the research sector at a time when espionage cases in research institutions are becoming increasingly common?

Research has become a target

In the current complicated security era, research security has risen on the agenda both in Estonia and more broadly. Knowledge, innovation and research workers themselves have become strategic resources targeted by foreign intelligence services and other hostile forces. Competition for scientific advantage is intensifying, and this directly affects universities, research institutions and companies.

The Internal Security Academy, as the higher education institution in the internal security and safety field, believes that the importance of this issue cannot be minimised under any circumstances. The Academy emphasises that ensuring research security requires a systematic approach and specialist knowledge-mere experience with isolated incidents does not provide competence to lead the field.

Experience does not replace expertise

Reinfeldt uses a vivid analogy: surviving a fire does not make someone a firefighter. The same logic applies to research security-the fact that an institution has encountered an espionage case does not automatically mean it has the skills and knowledge to deal with similar threats in the future.

The expert warns that research security becoming fashionable could lead to a situation where people with inadequate preparation begin to deal with the issue. This in turn could create false sense of security and leave actual vulnerabilities unaddressed.