Elevating Democracy via Transatlantic Collaboration – Conference Day 1 Gothenburg

Here you can watch the recording of the event in Stockholm.

In collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm, the Institute for Security and Development Policy invites you to a conference program on “Elevating Democracy via Transatlantic Collaboration” in Gothenburg, which you can also join online! 

The program aims to facilitate dialogue on challenges posed by foreign influence in the research ecosystem, with a focus on green transition technologies.  

Experts from the United States, Sweden, and Europe will convene in Gothenburg on March 11th and Stockholm on March 13th to explore security issues within research, emphasizing foreign influence. Presentations across two panels at each conference will offer diverse insights, enriching discussions with regional expertise. 

Over the past decade, foreign influence in strategic industries and critical infrastructure in the EU has grown exponentially. Beijing is increasingly acquiring equity or full ownership in companies providing critical services or industry-leading products, which may allow China to coerce national economic or security considerations in strategic sectors. At the same time, investigations have shown that authoritarian regimes may systematically exploit scientific collaborations to gain access to intellectual property and dual-purpose technologies with military and domestic security applications inconsistent with liberal research ideals. Even so, international cooperation is vital to innovation and stopping all intellectual and financial exchanges with authoritarian states does not appear feasible or desirable. Research naturally thrives in international settings, where people with a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and knowledge complement each other’s strengths. How do we balance transparent and constructive collaboration to advance knowledge on the one hand without endangering national interests on the other?    

How to join: 

On-site: Register by sending a request to ajarmuth@isdp.eu,the number of seats on-site is limited! 

Online via Zoom: Register here.

Program in Gothenburg on March 11: 

08:30-09:00: Coffee and registration  

09:00-09:15: Opening address: Introductory remarks by DMC Mark Evans, U.S. Embassy 

09:15-10:15: Panel I on Research Security: Effective Risk Management & Conscious Partnerships 

Confirmed speakers: Dr. Rebecca Keiser, Dr. Tommy Shih, Kristina Sandklef

10:25- 11:25: Panel II on Innovation Integrity: Ethical End-Uses & Security of Strategic Industries  

Speakers: Dr. Jeffrey Becker, Ms. Elisabett Lann, and Mr. Magnus Sundemo

11:30-12:00: Group discussion 

12:00-12:20: Off-record Q&A Session with in-person audience   

12:20-12:30: Conclusions and final remarks    

The online program runs from 9:00 to 12:00.

 

Speakers:

Mark Evans assumed the role of Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm in 2022. Prior to this, he served as Director of the Afghanistan Desk at the State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs from 2020, including an interim role as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan. His diplomatic career includes assignments in Baghdad, Iraq, where he served in various roles between 2011 and 2020. Evans also completed two diplomatic tours in Beijing, China, addressing consular, political-military, and nonproliferation matters. Additionally, he possesses expertise in crisis management, having served in both the State Department’s Operations Center and as a crisis management trainer at the State Department Foreign Service Institute. Before entering the diplomatic field, Evans worked for six years in the U.S. House of Representatives, including as Legislative Director for a Representative from Wisconsin. 

Dr. Rebecca Spyke Keiser is the first Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy (CRSSP) at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Her duty is to ensure the security of federally funded research while maintaining open international collaboration while providing the NSF director with policy advice on all aspects of research security strategy. She also leads NSF’s efforts to develop and implement efforts to improve research security and the agency’s coordination with other federal agencies and the White House.

Until March 2020, Keiser was the head of the Office of International Science & Engineering (OISE) at NSF since 2015. The office promotes an integrated, international strategy and manages internally focused programs that are innovative, catalytic, and responsive to national interests.

Prior to this she was a special advisor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) administrator and an executive-in-residence at American University. Keiser also served as assistant to the director for international relations at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she provided policy guidance to the president’s science advisor.

Tommy Shih is an Associate Professor in Business Administration at Lund University in Sweden and an internationally recognized policy expert on responsible internationalization. His research focuses on global science and geopolitics and on innovation management. He is also a Senior Adviser at the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT). At STINT he oversees the work on responsible internationalization. Tommy Shih moreover serves as an expert on issues related to science, technology and business to the European Commission, international funding agencies and Swedish government agencies.

Kristina Sandklef is an independent senior China analyst with a background from the Swedish private sector and the Swedish Defense. She worked at Ericsson as a consumer analyst for nine years before joining the Swedish Military Intelligence Directorate, where she worked with foreign security analysis focused on China for three years. She then returned to the private sector to work as a China macro economist at an asset fund manager for three years being their spokesperson on China issues. Nowadays, she works as a senior China advisor for companies and organisations with special focus on foreign security, economics, and challenges that can arise when working with China. Among her assignments, she has worked with clients on how to handle the opportunities and challenges in Chinese research cooperation. She is a frequent commentator on China issues in Swedish media. Kristina has a BA in Chinese and a double major in political science and economics from Lund University. In 1994/95, she studied Chinese and international economics on a scholarship at Renmin University in Beijing.

Dr. Jeffrey Becker is a Principal Research Scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses.
Dr. Becker has published on domestic Chinese labor politics, Chinese governance, Chinese military, foreign policy, and security issues. His current research includes Chinese maritime issues and Chinese foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific. Since 2014, Becker has supported the U.S. Navy with regard to China’s participation in the multilateral “Rim of the Pacific” exercise (RIMPAC). As part of these efforts, Becker has worked with U.S. and Chinese exercise planners.

Before joining CNA, Dr. Becker was the China director for the International Labor Rights Forum, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Penn State University and the George Washington University and has lived and studied extensively in China. Dr. Becker’s published books and monographs include ‘From Peasants to Protesters: Social Ties, Resources, and Migrant Labor Contention in Contemporary China’ (Lexington Books, 2014), and ‘Behind the Periscope: Leadership in China’s Navy’ (CNA, 2013). His research on Chinese labor politics and Chinese anti-corruption efforts has appeared in Comparative Political Studies and the Journal of Chinese Political Science, and include ‘The Knowledge to Act: Chinese Migrant Labor Protests in Comparative Perspective’, and ‘Tackling Corruption at its Source: The National Corruption Prevention Bureau’. Dr. Becker holds a Ph.D. in political science from the George Washington University, an M.A. in political science from Columbia University, and a B.A. in international relations and Asian studies from Colgate University.

Ms. Elisabet Lann serves as the Deputy Mayor in Gothenburg, Sweden. In addition, she holds the position of Co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international cross-party coalition dedicated to reforming the approach of democratic nations towards China. Lann also serves as the Chairperson of KIC (Christian Democratic International Center), an organization focused on democracy assistance and the strengthening of human rights. Her roles reflect a commitment to effecting positive change both locally and globally.

Mr. Magnus Sundemo holds a Master of Science in mechanical engineering. He has held a variety of roles within Volvo Cars such as engineer, project manager and line manager at various levels. Magnus was the project manager for the acclaimed concept car XC60 and head of car concept development within Volvo Cars in the late 1990 and the early 2000. He has also had a very strong union commitment and was chairman of the Volvo Cars Academic Association part-time between 1992 – 1994 and full-time from 2007 – 2016. Through his position on the company board of Volvo Cars for a total of twelve years, Magnus has unique insights into the company. In 2018 he released his book “The Truth About Volvo” which has received a lot of attention. The Truth About Volvo takes you on a personal journey through Swedish industrial history, giving a unique insight into one of Sweden’s most significant companies, demonstrating how unions can achieve unsuspected heights through brave members and inspired leadership. Since December 2016, Magnus Sundemo work as an independent senior consultant and performs assignments of various kinds.