– We have tightened the ICT control and employed more people from the police and the Armed Forces to sharpen everyday preparedness. So says Bjørn Haugstad, director of organization and infrastructure at NTNU in Trondheim. NTNU has had several unfortunate cases in recent years, where security routines have been put to the test. The espionage case at the University of Tromsø means that security at Norwegian universities and colleges is once again in the spotlight. The PST recently arrested and detained a Brazilian guest researcher they believe is a Russian spy. The man is said to have acquired information about Norwegian politics in the northern regions. The claims from former intelligence veteran Ola Kaldager that the university sector is naive are flatly rejected by NTNU rector Anne Borg. Security at universities and colleges in Norway is a high priority, according to NTNU Rector Anne Borg. Photo: Stein Lorentzen / news Not naive – the University and College Council (UHR) is very aware of the balance between international knowledge cooperation and national security, Borg tells news. Borg, who is also a board member of UHR, now leads a working group that has been set up to work specifically on this. – Until the invasion of Ukraine, Russia was one of the priority countries to have research collaboration with. This has now been completed, and all institutional cooperation with Russian institutions has ended from the Norwegian side. The organization is in regular dialogue with the authorities on how to safeguard social security and international cooperation on research and higher education. NTNU has tightened access control to its advanced laboratories. Photo: NTNU Security tightened At NTNU, risk management is continuously being worked on. Several unfortunate incidents in 2018 and 2019 led to the university significantly tightening security. The case where a German-Iranian professor gave visiting Iranian researchers access to advanced laboratory equipment at NTNU has also contributed to this. The prosecution believes this may have contributed to developing Iran’s military capability, which the professor rejects. The case has been heard in the Oslo District Court, and a verdict is expected shortly. – Now we have stricter access control, and have more control over who is allowed in at advanced laboratories to use advanced infrastructure, says Haugstad. More thorough background check When recruiting foreign nationals, a more thorough background check is now carried out, and the university management has regular meetings with PST. – This is to make sure that we get the necessary information, and that we have a common understanding of the threat picture. We are in a completely different place now than four years ago. After such a background check, NTNU has had to reject strong applicants from countries that are on the PST list of so-called high-risk countries. – Not because we have a suspicion, but because we cannot verify that the person in question is safe. The news about the suspected spy researcher who was arrested in Tromsø and detained has attracted international attention. Before coming to Norway, he took a master’s degree at the University of Calgary, which is confirmed to the public broadcaster in Canada, CBC. Not surprised Historian Ian Garner, who works on Russian culture and war propaganda in Canada, has heard the story and is not surprised. – These people who end up in such sensitive positions have a chance to influence the direction and debate among people who work with the authorities. They don’t need security clearance to work at these institutions, Garner told the CBC. According to Garner, access to Western universities and similar institutions is easy for international students. – It is a simple task for the Russian authorities to create false documents and show false knowledge, which is needed to gain access to these programs. Garner believes it is up to the security authorities to stop this. – We have to decide whether we should allow people to come to our institutions without risk or with risk. If we allow it, we have a responsibility to do better security checks on who comes here. Especially when Russia uses illegals, says Garner to the CBC. The work at NTNU and other universities is based on trust, and we have to expect that some of what we do will be misused. Photo: Grete Thobroe / news Regulations to be revised The Export Control Regulations, which regulate this in Norway, are now to be revised and have been out for consultation. Among other things, the regulation is intended to prevent countries Norway that do not have a security policy cooperation with exploiting our knowledge environments, and gaining access to security-covered knowledge. If NTNU is to maintain its status within technology and science, collaboration with international research communities is of great importance. – At my faculty, 40 per cent of the PhD students are Norwegian, 60 per cent come from other countries. Many of them come from countries such as Russia, China and Iran. So says Olav Bolland, dean of the Faculty of Engineering at NTNU. Protecting information values against espionage has received increased attention at NTNU. Photo: Grete Thobroe / news Espionage is everywhere Although they are careful not to give out too much information, it is a difficult balancing act. At his faculty, there is a lot of teaching in fields that affect critical infrastructure in Norway. – We have to count on the fact that there are players who don’t just want us well. Espionage is something you find everywhere, and we have to reckon that there are spies both in Norway and at NTNU that we are not aware of today. Bolland notices a growing interest in individuals from PST. There is also some contact between the international employees and their embassy in Norway. NTNU director Bjørn Haugstad is clear that they are completely dependent on continuing to be able to recruit internationally. – Knowledge sharing and openness are in our DNA. Secrecy is sometimes absolutely necessary, but something that violates how we want it to be.
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NTNU is often in contact with PST, security has been tightened at the universities – news Trøndelag
