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The global academic landscape has changed significantly since the 1990s. Today, more countries than ever participate in the production of high-quality research, and international collaborations in higher education have increased dramatically over the past three decades due to globalization and increased personal mobility. It is clear that international exchanges and increased personal mobility have strengthened Sweden’s research and higher education systems. In addition, international academic collaborations are crucial for achieving solutions to global challenges. However, there are also real, potential, and alleged risks associated with international ex-changes, such as non-intended military use of research and malign foreign influence. Rapid economic development, improved innovation and scientific capacity in countries outside the Western sphere, and increased autocratization in large parts of the world have led to changing global power dynamics and geopolitical frictions. To counter this development, governments in the Western world have increasingly emphasized the need to protect various national sec-tors, including research and higher education. This article focuses on the securitization of the academic sector and what this means for research and higher education. It also aims to provide background and an overview of the problem.