Trusted Research and Innovation: How Knowledge Leakage Affects the Research & Innovation Ecosystem

A robust Research & Innovation (R&I) ecosystem is essential for progress, economic resilience, and addressing complex challenges. At the heart of this ecosystem, knowledge fuels innovation and further discovery. However, knowledge leakage (the loss of valuable information) can disrupt this cycle. This poses a challenge for what is known as Trusted Research & Innovation (TRI), a framework designed to strengthen research security, protect national interests, and build resilient research systems. Despite its significance, the challenges of TRI remain poorly understood. This report investigates knowledge leakage. It begins with an overview of the TRI context, focusing on policymaking, and then reviews the literature on knowledge leakage and related concepts. An exploratory data analysis examines novel empirical data to better understand the extent of knowledge leakage and how it impacts economic areas of defence, economic, and national security importance. The data analysis finds that industries deemed important for economic and national security (the UK’s ‘sensitive economic areas’) have an 18% higher incidence of leakage than those that are not.

Searle, Nicola, Bernhard Ganglmair and Maurizio Borghi (2025), Trusted Research and Innovation: How Knowledge Leakage Affects the Research & Innovation Ecosystem, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-030, Mannheim.