It's hardly a hunt for reds under the bed, but ATEC is curious about including research security in the Higher Education Standards Framework and has asked the Higher Education Standards Committee to ask around.
“While academic freedom is fundamental, it does not remove institutional or individual obligations to comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements, including those relating to sanctions, export controls and foreign interference,” HESC suggests.
The Committee sets out the scope of intel risks and suggests what could be included in the TEQSA-enforced HE Threshold Standards, given they do not “expressly articulate” minimum capabilities to protect research data, systems and infrastructure.
But it also identifies where we are with existing requirements, including under the Commonwealth’s Foreign Arrangements Scheme, the Defence Trade Controls Act and Autonomous Sanctions Act. Plus nine Commonwealth agencies are interested.
But for now, TEQSA is left out. The Threshold Standards “do not explicitly reference cyber security, research security or national security considerations … nor do they “establish specific expectations regarding research security awareness, capability or the management of risks associated with contemporary research environments.”
HESC suggests that the system-wide Part A standards could “assist in signalling the importance of research security as a system-wide consideration and establishing overarching expectations.”
But there should be specifics for universities, in Part B, covering:
- Institutional capability, governance and oversight of research and cyber security risks
- Fit-for-purpose systems, controls and processes appropriate for nature of research, its scale and risk profile, protecting staff and students
- Outcomes-based and proportionate risk-to-research activities.
The Committee asks for advice on three specifics:
- How to manage and mitigate security risks while protecting staff and students
- Any legislative, regulatory, funding or sector frameworks (including ARC funding) to consider in drafting new expectations
- The same form amendments to the Threshold Standards
Responses are due by 7th September 2026.