Global science, technology, and innovation (STI) face unprecedented challenges in 2025 as geopolitical tensions and security worries drive countries to rethink how they share, protect, and advance knowledge. According to the OECD’s latest Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook, nations are adopting policies that prioritize economic and national security, often at the expense of openness and broad international collaboration.
The world’s research landscape is adapting rapidly, reflecting a complex balance between protecting sensitive intelligence and fostering progress on global challenges.
Governments Move to Protect Sensitive Research Amid Growing Tensions
As new technologies become central to economic and strategic interests, governments are taking robust actions to shield their research sectors from foreign interference and knowledge leakage. The OECD reports an exponential rise in research security measures—from just 12 countries with such policies in 2018 to 41 by 2025, and a tenfold increase in the total number of related policies.
These range from direct national security restrictions on emerging technologies to stricter guidelines for international research collaboration and data transfers.
The challenge, as OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann points out, is creating regulatory environments that protect sensitive work without hampering innovation. “Too little security risks exposure, but too much stifles scientific progress and beneficial partnerships,” he warns. Governments are urged to calibrate policies proportionately, ensuring they target real risks without undermining the global pace of discovery.
A Dramatic Shift: Securitization of Science and Diplomacy
Historically, scientific progress has relied on open, borderless collaboration. Today, securitization means nations are explicitly aligning their STI strategies with broader national interests. This includes promoting strategic research, defending intellectual property from foreign access, and projecting influence through “science diplomacy”—the deliberate use of research networks to support national and geopolitical goals.
The accelerating rivalry in areas like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space technology has led governments to scrutinize international joint projects, academic partnerships, and participation in global forums. International co-authorship in scientific papers has risen dramatically since the 1970s, but data from the OECD show momentum slowing as security controls take hold. While open research helped fuel past innovations, restrictive approaches may curtail future collaboration.
Research Security: Tenfold Growth in Policies Since 2018
One of the most significant changes tracked by the OECD is the sheer number of laws and policies focused on securing research—from trade controls and export bans to institutional guidelines and cyber-protection mandates. In 2025, countries reported around 250 distinct research security policies, compared to just 25 seven years ago.
This policy surge addresses a wide spectrum of concerns: protecting critical infrastructure, preventing knowledge leakage, safeguarding university research from foreign adversaries, and monitoring dual-use technologies. National security reviews of academic partnerships, foreign investments, and technology transfers are increasingly common, especially for sensitive sectors like defense, advanced manufacturing, and health innovation.
Balancing Openness and Innovation With Risk Management
Although security is paramount, OECD researchers stress the importance of open collaboration to maintain research quality and address urgent global issues—from climate change to pandemics. Nations must steer clear of unnecessarily restrictive measures that undermine the productivity and effectiveness of their innovation systems.
The OECD calls on governments to design flexible, risk-proportionate security policies that protect genuine national interests but still allow for knowledge exchange, international joint projects, and transformative discoveries. Achieving this delicate balance is needed to keep science advancing while respecting security needs.
Major Investments in Strategic Research and Emerging Technologies
Governments worldwide are ramping up spending in strategic research areas as part of their new STI priorities. According to the OECD, public research and development expenditure on energy has surged by 76 percent over the past decade, reflecting urgent needs for green transition, energy security, and climate action. At the same time, defense-related R&D budgets have jumped by 75 percent, nearly double the rate of overall research spending.
Investment is especially intense in high-technology fields like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and cyber defense—domains seen as pivotal in the race for global influence. National initiatives increasingly focus on protecting advances in these areas from unauthorized foreign access, whether through stronger intellectual property regimes, screening of foreign research partners, or tighter export controls.
International Scientific Collaboration Faces New Headwinds
While openness drove previous innovation booms, the tide is turning as governments recalibrate for security. The share of scientific publications involving international co-authors in OECD countries soared from just 2 percent in 1970 to 27 percent in 2023. However, the latest figures suggest further growth may be slowing under pressures to protect strategic interests and control sensitive knowledge flows.
Science diplomacy is changing as well, with countries leveraging research ties to enhance their global standing and project influence. As a result, international partnerships are increasingly scrutinized for national security risks, and access to research networks may be determined by diplomatic priorities as much as scientific merit.
The Tightrope: Enabling Innovation Without Compromising Security
In this new era, governments must walk a tightrope—promoting innovation, economic growth, and societal benefits while guarding against threats and misuse. The OECD report underscores the need for “smart” security policies: those sufficiently robust to defend core interests but nimble enough to adapt to evolving risks and enable cross-border collaboration on critical challenges.
Global leaders are asked to keep policies clear, transparent, and proportional, fostering public trust and international goodwill. Continuous dialogue with the scientific community and stakeholders is crucial for crafting effective measures that protect sensitive work but do not stifle creativity or opportunity.
Conclusion: The Path Forward for Secure, Collaborative Innovation
The OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2025 provides clear evidence that the landscape of research and innovation is becoming more complex and security-driven. As countries aim to harness technological progress for national advantage, striking the right balance between protection and open collaboration remains the central challenge.
Ultimately, the report calls for actions that safeguard valuable research and support strategic goals, while leaving room for shared progress, scientific freedom, and global partnerships. The new paradigm will demand flexible policies, sustained investment in critical domains, and a renewed commitment to responsible, inclusive innovation for the benefit of all.
