4.3. Minimizing risks in specific situations

• Try to formalize your cooperation, especially if it is a longer-term cooperation or involves individuals and institutions from countries where academic freedom is severely restricted.
• Ensure that research data and results are not passed on to third parties prior to publication or misused by such parties.

Risks exist in all cooperation contexts, irrespective of the country or individuals of a specific origin with whom the cooperation is taking place. Therefore, it is essential that you do not prejudge people on the basis of their origin. Prejudging and screening individuals is unfounded and also inadmissible on the basis of the General Act on Equal Treatment (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, AGG), Section 1: “The purpose of the AGG is to prevent or eliminate discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic origin, gender, religion or ideology, disability, age, or sexual identity.”

However, it is important to be cautious about who you are cooperating with. The following applies to supervising and hosting visiting scholars:

• Use the contract for visiting scholars at Universität Hamburg. You can usually obtain this from the relevant office of the dean.
• Be aware of double affiliations and funding sources of the individuals you host in order to avoid conflicts of loyalty and interest.
• Together with the guest, describe the goals and tasks of the cooperation during their stay at Universität Hamburg. Set appropriate framework conditions for the (possibly restricted) use of infrastructure and access to sources and data.
• Secure sensitive information and data in inaccessible locations.
• Contact the Export and Custom Control Unit if the guest scholar’s research or project involves aspects of technology knowledge exchange.

Before the trip

• Find out about country-specific security information on the Federal Foreign Office website (available in German only).
• Only carry technical equipment and data that are necessary for the trip. As far as possible, refrain from taking sensitive professional and private data with you.
• Serviced areas by the RRZ use Fully Managed Devices (FMD). No special care is necessesary for those devices since they always use VPN and are equipped with anti-virus software. Self-administrated devices must be configured securely by their users if they wish to use them.
• Users of areas serviced not by the RRZ, who have questions regarding IT security, should contact IT-Services. An overview is provided here.

During the trip

• Observe the guidelines and legal regulations of the country of travel.
• Avoid compromising situations, and make sure that your technical devices and sensitive data are kept safe.
• Do not accept money or other gifts that require something in return.
• Avoid using donated IT—for example, do not use USB sticks or storage devices from third parties on your devices.
• We recommend that you maintain personal contact with someone you trust privately during the trip and inform them of any possible changes to the trip or unusual occurrences.

After the trip

• Users of areas serviced not by the RRZ, who have questions regarding IT security, should contact IT-Services. An overview is provided here.