RISING geopolitical tensions and security concerns about emerging critical technologies are reshaping international co-operation in science, technology and innovation (STI), according to a new OECD report.

The OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2025 finds that governments are increasingly aligning their STI policies with economic and national security objectives - from promoting critical research and emerging technologies, to protecting against unauthorised knowledge leakage, and projecting national interests through science diplomacy. This growing securitisation of STI reflects how the changing geopolitical environment is reshaping global research and innovation linkages.

As part of this broader shift, the report shows a sharp rise in research security measures - policies designed to protect sensitive research and prevent foreign interference. In 2025, countries reported 250 such policies - almost ten times more than in 2018. Over the same period, the number of countries with research security policies has increased from 12 to 41.

“The challenge is to strike the right balance between security, openness and innovation,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. “Too little security can expose sensitive research, while too much can stifle innovation and positive collaboration. Governments need to design measures that are proportional to the risks, well-targeted, and which enable mutually-beneficial collaboration if they are to protect national interests without undermining research quality and slowing progress on shared challenges, from boosting productivity, to achieving net zero objectives, to advancing health innovation and enabling the digital transformation.”  

The effects of securitisation and geopolitical realignments can already be seen in scientific collaboration. While the share of internationally co-authored scientific publications in OECD countries rose from just 2% in 1970 to 27% in 2023, the latest data indicate that this upward trend is losing momentum.

Governments are also stepping up investments in strategic research areas. Public research and development (R&D) spending on energy has increased by 76% over the last decade, and defence R&D budgets have grown by 75% over the same period - nearly twice as fast as overall R&D spending. Efforts to protect high-technology fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing are also intensifying, leading to closer scrutiny of international scientific collaborations at a time of growing competition.