The Defense Science Board hosted a visiting Dutch delegation to discuss its findings and recommendations by the DSB Task Force on “Balancing Openness and Security Across the DOD Academic Research Enterprise,” on December 13 in Arlington, Virginia.

Chaired by HON Shirley Ann Jackson- the former Chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and DSB Chair, Dr. Eric D. Evans, the meeting included Dutch representatives from the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy; the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; and the Ministry of Justice and Security; along with U.S. personnel from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the office responsible for advancing the U.S. military’s defense technological advantage.

This Task Force was conducted with the purpose of finding effective ways to address the threat posed by foreign adversaries to the Department of Defense’s Academic Research Enterprise while maintaining the openness required to ensure U.S. academic institutions access the best and the brightest in basic and applied scientific research.

After assembling experts in this field – including academics, law enforcement, and counterintelligence experts − the Task Force reviewed the threat landscape, current U.S. policy and authorities, and the state of DOD involvement in developing and protecting critical technologies. The Task Force determined that an adaptable and scalable framework that is consistently reviewed to meet future threats will be necessary for long-term success. The recommendations of which offered ways to get ahead of the threat while ensuring an open-collaborative research environment where science can thrive thus gaining the attention of partners and allies.