Research Security – Guidelines for pilot in INTER Mobility Call 2026 published

Distinctive national initiative for coordinated action

The Ministry of Research and Higher Education (MESR), together with the FNR, the University of Luxembourg (UL), the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), and the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), have jointly developed Responsible Research Collaboration Guidelines – Why does Research Security matter?

With this initiative, Luxembourg starts implementing the Council Recommendation on Enhancing Research Security which has been adopted by the European Council in May 2024[1].

The INTER Mobility Call 2026 will serve as a pilot for introducing a self-assessment (=risk-appraisal) related to potential research security aspects to be completed by the principal investigators as part of their proposal.

For FNR applicants, this means that research security is not an administrative add‑on but a core component of responsible project design. Applicants should assess potential risks linked to partners, data, technologies, and research outputs, and demonstrate how these will be mitigated without compromising academic freedom.

Ensuring research security strengthens project quality, protects researchers and institutions, and aligns Luxembourg’s public research sector with evolving European standards[2].

Principal Investigators (PIs) planning to submit an INTER Mobility proposal in 2026 are invited to participate in an online webinar on February 26th from 14:00 to 15:00 to address any questions that might arise on the self-assessment questionnaire. The link will be shared upon request by the FNR.

[1] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-research-and-innovation/europe-world/international-cooperation/strategic-autonomy-and-european-economic-and-research-security_en

[2] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/document/download/c0c0dbae-c7d7-45d8-b59b-413f54aa8983…