On 27 February 2024, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft hosted the Annual Conference of the European Export Control Association for Research Organisations (EECARO) in Munich (Germany). This conference brought together research compliance practitioners, regulators, and experts from across Europe to discuss the latest developments, challenges, and best practices in the areas of export controls, economic security and research security. It was open for EECARO members, invited external speakers, including representatives from authorities responsible for export controls and research security, and representatives and members from the UK based Higher Education Export Controls Association (HEECA).

The discussions dealt with both traditional challenges for academia regarding export control compliance, especially publications, internal and external audits and enforcement cases affecting research organisations, and also the effect of national export controls on new technologies, balancing (beyond-) export controls with hiring restrictions and fundamental rights, and the connection between export controls and economic security, which has become a pressing issue for the European research sector because of the growing global tensions.

EECARO appreciated the candid and informative conversations among the participants, showing a need and desire to maintain such dialogue between the different stakeholders.

The 6 sessions of the Annual Conference programme were:

Session 1: Opening a New Front? On Export Controls and Economic Security
Session 2: Happily ever After? On Publications and Export controls
Session 3: When Export Controls meets Fundamental Rights: on Export Controls and Hiring Restrictions
Session 4: Meet your Peers: Walking Discussion on Daily Compliance Challenges
Session 5: The Moment You Hear an Audit is Coming - On Internal Compliance programme and audits
Session 6: I Know What You Did Last Summer – On Enforcement in Export Controls