The war in Ukraine and the resulting threat looming over Europe have made security an increasingly topical issue in Swedish society – including at the country's universities and university colleges. At Umeå University, we're actively working to reinforce the protection of our data and operations.
This week, the Swedish Security Service presented its latest situational assessment report. It warned that growing unrest in the world has increased the threat to Swedish security. It called Russia 'the most significant threat' to the country, China a 'growing and long-term threat', and Iran a 'tangible threat'.
Hans Wiklund, University Director
Photo: Mattias Pettersson
Minister for Education Mats Persson has previously said that the heightened threat level is reflected in some states' approach to research and higher education, and that he feels there's a need to reinforce security at Sweden's higher education institutions. The Swedish Government has also set new and more stringent security demands of the country's higher education institutions in this year's letter of regulation.
Not least in terms of research, the sector possesses valuable information that could be of significant economic interest to certain parties or used in civilian or military contexts. The latter was recently highlighted in two of Sweden's biggest newspapers, Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet, which published investigative reports about Chinese researchers at Swedish higher education institutions. At the same time, however, we need to uphold academic freedom and ensure research can be conducted freely and across borders.
At Umeå University too, we've been actively taking increased security precautions for a while now. We've reviewed and finetuned our management and coordination of security issues, and established a new university security team. We're actively reinforcing our IT and data security, including following recommendations made by the Internal Audit Office in its audit last year. Our rules, routines and user support for dual-use products have also been clarified and become stricter, to ensure they meet the requirements of the National Inspectorate of Strategic Products.
Last but not least, we've also expanded the support we offer to employees and students: we've updated the 'If something happens' pages on our website and offer various trainings, for instance on how to prevent and manage threats and violence in different situations.
I'm aware of the fact that there's a certain contrariety between the University's basic principles of openness and cooperation on the one hand, and security on the other, and that some of the measures now being taken might make daily life more cumbersome for our employees and students. But I think it's important to remember that the goal of these security measures is to create a safe and secure environment for all students, employees and others on campus, and to protect the University's assets and operations.