Resources for responsible internationalisation
Karolinska Institutet (KI) actively participates in education and research collaborations globally. International cooperation is crucial to KI's activities. It is our shared responsibility to maintain and deepen these collaborations in a responsible manner, managing and minimizing risks, especially in collaborations with partners from authoritarian countries.
Responsible internationalization: Strategy and needs
Responsible internationalization is a concept that encompasses strategies for creating favourable conditions for international cooperation and includes the professional responsibility of minimizing and managing risks.
A strategy to create conditions and to minimize risks
Responsible internationalization means creating the conditions for international cooperation by:
- Conducting overall assessments of the benefits, feasibility, impacts and potential risks of a collaboration before it takes place and during the course of the collaboration.
- Anchoring collaborations in KI's ethical and value principles.
Need for increased awareness
Employees at KI need to be aware that international cooperation can involve potential risks in areas such as:
- Information security, cybersecurity, intellectual property (IP), campus security, academic freedom, ethics and human rights.
- Security risks for researchers and students on fieldwork.
- Risk of research results being used for military purposes.
Who is responsible for the risk assessment?
- Individual collaborations: responsibility lies with the individual researcher.
- Formalized collaborations: responsibility lies with the research team, the institution or the university.
If uncertainties arise during the risk assessment they should be reported to the supervisor/manager for further action. Each manager is responsible for ensuring that risk management is conducted within their area of responsibility.
Support for risk assessment
To make well-informed decisions on cooperation, it is essential to
- Identify and document risks.
- Make an overall assessment of opportunities and risks.
- Establish a risk management plan if necessary.
Risk assessment checklist
The checklist is a support for those who need to carry out a risk assessment. The checklist is divided into nine sections and guides you through a risk assessment with questions, supporting material and opportunity for reflection.
Fill in the checklist and use it when contacting KI’s legal department (if a contract is to be drawn up) or for validation from your supervisor/manager.
The areas covered by the checklist are:
- Information about the project/collaboration (topic/purpose)
- Critical technology/materials and dual use
- Funding and legal conditions
- Country and organization of cooperation
- Ethical aspects
- Students and researchers involved
- Conflict of interest
Links to internal resources for risk assessment
Links to external resources for risk assessment
When do we need to pay special attention?
Caution is required when working with partners from countries that violate internationally recognized values and principles, such as human rights and the rule of law. The use of various indices, such as the Academic Freedom Index and the Corruption Perception Index, can help in risk assessment.
Human rights and KI's social responsibility
KI has a responsibility to promote human rights and shall not cooperate with parties directly involved in serious violations. However, not all cooperation in high-risk countries is problematic, as long as the cooperation does not lead to violations.