Case Study: Controlled Goods in Universities
There are times when Canadian universities must access controlled goods. This most often occurs when the university partners with a corporate sponsor in a research project.
A university needed to register with the Controlled Goods Directorate in order to participate in certain research projects.
Controlled Goods Consulting conducted a threat & risk assessment of the university's facilities. The current security measures were noted and problems recorded. Professors and researchers in each department were interviewed and research projects discussed to discover where controlled goods were in use on campus. From these inspections and interviews, Controlled Goods Consulting created a controlled goods security plan that addressed the university's specific environment and needs, such as foreign students working on research projects, a decentralized procurement system, the need to publish research papers and spaces used for ,multiple purposes. The security plan also addressed students' use of mobile devices and social media relating to controlled goods. We have held training sessions for department heads and administrators on security and controlled goods.
Several months after the plan was delivered and the university was registered, Controlled Goods Consulting was contacted to evaluate a potential security breach. We examined the item in question, consulted the export control list, conducted interviews, researched the applicable controlled goods regulations and delivered a report to university administrators for for further action.
