KAIST professor Kwon Seok-beom conducts first large-scale empirical analysis of dual-use research, finding it carries greater scientific impact than ordinary research in a study of roughly 600,000 papers

An AI-generated image illustrating tightened regulation of dual-use research. [Provided by KAIST]
An AI-generated image illustrating tightened regulation of dual-use research. [Provided by KAIST]

The United States has been steadily tightening oversight of dual-use research — work that could threaten national security — but a new study by South Korean researchers finds that the stricter controls impose a disproportionate burden on domestic scientific progress while delivering limited security benefits.

KAIST announced Friday that Kwon Seok-beom, a professor at its School of Management of Technology, had used large-scale data analysis to show that enhanced security regulations on dual-use research risk stunting critical scientific advances.

The findings were published Friday in the international journal Science.

Dual-use research refers to work that can benefit humanity — such as vaccine and treatment development — while also carrying the potential to be exploited for security threats, including biological weapons or bioterrorism. Virus mutation studies and research on pathogen transmission are among the most prominent examples.

The United States has continuously strengthened security oversight of dual-use research in recent years, introducing additional restrictions through a presidential executive order in 2025. The existing pre-publication security review framework, grounded in National Security Decision Directive 189, applies only when the federal government is directly involved in funding or conducting the research. Studies carried out without federal involvement fall in effect outside its jurisdiction.

Kwon Seok-beom, professor at KAIST's School of Management of Technology. [Provided by KAIST]
Kwon Seok-beom, professor at KAIST's School of Management of Technology. [Provided by KAIST]

Kwon developed a new analytical methodology combining the US Patent and Trademark Office's multi-tiered security review process with patent-paper citation data, and applied it to analyze roughly 600,000 research papers.

The analysis found that dual-use research consistently showed greater scientific impact than ordinary research — suggesting that the studies most subject to regulation are precisely those most likely to drive scientific progress and technological innovation.

The share of dual-use research directly involving the US federal government fell from about 41 percent in 1981 to roughly 22 percent in 2005, while the share involving foreign institutions rose from 35 percent to 54 percent over the same period. The trend illustrates how American security regulations have concentrated on domestic research even as the share of overseas work in the field has continued to grow.

"This study lays the groundwork for empirically assessing how security oversight policies on dual-use research affect both scientific advancement and national security," Kwon said. "It will help the United States and other governments develop more evidence-based, balanced science and technology security policies."


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