The University of Vaasa hosted the Intelligence Research Day, an important international academic gathering dedicated to contemporary intelligence studies, intelligence analysis, and the adaptation of security policy. The event brought together leading scholars, intelligence practitioners, and experts from across Europe and North America to discuss the future challenges facing intelligence organizations in an increasingly complex global security environment.

Particular attention was devoted to the participation of two distinguished INIS Senior Research Fellows, Prof. Jan Goldman and Prof. Rubén Arcos, whose contributions further strengthened the international academic profile of the Institute for National and International Security (INIS).

Prof. Jan Goldman, one of the world’s most respected authorities in intelligence studies, delivered a lecture entitled “Intelligence Analysis in the Contemporary World: Problems and Solutions.” His presentation addressed contemporary challenges facing the intelligence and analytical communities, emphasizing the necessity of adaptation, critical thinking, and institutional resilience in an era of rapidly evolving threats and growing strategic uncertainty. Prof. Goldman’s longstanding academic and professional experience includes appointments at the National Intelligence University, CIA University, and the FBI Academy, while he currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence.

The event concluded with a high-level panel discussion moderated by Prof. Jan Goldman, focusing on the forthcoming Palgrave Macmillan volume The Adaptation of Intelligence in Security Policy: Chameleons in the Shadows? The discussion examined how intelligence institutions adapt to changing geopolitical realities, emerging technologies, hybrid threats, and increasingly dynamic security environments.

Among the key panel participants was INIS Senior Research Fellow Prof. Rubén Arcos, an internationally recognized scholar of intelligence and security studies and Visiting Professor at the University of Vaasa. Prof. Arcos joined the volume’s editors, Petri Uusikylä and Markus Peltola, along with Finnish intelligence practitioner Timo Valtonen, to discuss the strategic challenges of intelligence adaptation and the future development of intelligence organizations.

The forthcoming book, scheduled for publication by Palgrave Macmillan in July 2026, represents a significant contribution to contemporary intelligence scholarship. Bringing together leading academics and practitioners, the volume explores how intelligence institutions respond to changing security conditions and how adaptation has become a central requirement for effective intelligence work in the twenty-first century.

The active participation of INIS Senior Research Fellows Jan Goldman and Rubén Arcos at the University of Vaasa once again demonstrates INIS’s strong international presence within the global intelligence studies community and its ongoing contributions to advancing academic research, professional dialogue, and the development of Security Science and Intelligence Studies.