The Institute’s Intelligence Academy in Vienna engages with and supports other education providers. As a part of its non-profit and professional obligations to the Institute the Intelligence Academy co-operates with the academic/research community, allows library access to scholars, provides research assistance, security, anonymity and a variety of other consultancy services.

Consultancy

Supported by a global network of highly trained intelligence professionals with decades of experience, the Intelligence Academy boasts a formidable capability across the full spectrum of Intelligence activity. Whatever the nature of consultancy, from developing innovative technology, conducting training, managing single operations or building an ongoing Intelligence capability, all solutions are bespoke.

The Intelligence Academy draws on a diverse pool of experts whose capabilities uniquely address specific intelligence tasks. Every representative of a commissioned group is chosen for their long experience, access to highly sensitive information and ability to solve multi-dimensional problems in complex environments. However, what is unique to the Intelligence Academy is that this highly qualified team consists entirely of professional registrants that adhere to the highest ethical principles, professional standards and are subject to intrusive oversight.

Professional registration enables subject matter experts to approach requirements in a way that minimises mission creep and optimises results. All the while avoiding ethical and moral hazards that have plagued even the largest of the worlds intelligence agencies. The Intelligence Academy is unique in its innovative, pan-European, multi-sector approach to capability development, offering safety to client reputation as well as their conventional security. The capabilities developed are as equally applicable to undercover journalism in eastern Europe as military intelligence in the west.

Due to its positioning, one of the more unique services the Intelligence Academy offers is facilitating advanced security vetting. Moving well beyond background checks, vetting involves the application of covert methodology and technology normally reserved for government but now applied on an international scale. Vetting decisions are made by competent authorities based on investigative profiling and risk analysis with the aim of protecting individuals, organisations and states from international security threats.

The Intelligence Academy brings advanced tools, techniques and expertise to environments that require the highest levels of confidentiality and discretion. Their unique role in European Intelligence enables them to address budgeting challenges, innovation gaps, recruitment and procurement shortfalls and other strategic demands in the interests of European security.

Although activities within this area remain classified and its clients protected, there has been no contemporary threat to European security that the Intelligence Academy has not consulted upon. There are few security areas of government in Europe that the Intelligence Academy has not been at least indirectly involved with. Leveraging its expertise as a significant force for change, if not a covert one.

Academic Membership & Library

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Institute’s Intelligence Academy in Vienna supports its own candidates. As an an approved provider, all Intelligence Academy candidates automatically qualify for academic membership for the duration of their enrolment. However, the Intelligence Academy doesn’t only offer support to its own candidates, but scholars throughout Europe as well. In fact the same unofficial academic membership package is available to any student of Intelligence and Surveillance for the duration of their enrolment in any accredited Intelligence degree at a recognised university. This also includes students enroled on the courses of approved training providers too.

The membership does not confer official status or access to the benefits of professional registration. However, to a limited degree the membership affords a number of non-preferential privileges such as:

  • Assistance with insurance for exercises or assessments: If undertaking training and readiness exercises with the Intelligence Academy in order to augment studies with professional development, the Institute will provide guidance on obtaining the necessary insurance and legal assistance.
  • Expert advice and interviews for research purposes: When producing a thesis or dissertation, original sources can be difficult to locate. Securing their consent and cooperation can be even more complicated. However, the Institute is in an ideal position to arrange interviews with registrants in support of their research.
  • Access to student-only events and networking opportunities: The Intelligence Academy can arrange networking events across Europe to help connect students with similar research and professional interests.
  • Proof-reading and academic advisory services: The Intelligence Academy offers academic advisory services to student members. Documents must be supplied and feedback is provided electronically.
  • Professional advice in securing your first intelligence role: If you are seeking a career in government, academia, the private sector and more, the directing staff can provide useful insights into the recruitment and selection preferences of various European organisations.
  • Access to library resources: Preferential access to library resources is afforded to registrants. However, with sufficient notice and a specific query our staff may be able to assist you with literary sources for your research.

The aforementioned Academy Library is a modest but unique collection of intelligence reference material illustrating importance of the development of intelligence across multiple sectors. An ever-growing collection of volumes particularly dedicated to the development of theoretical approaches to human intelligence practice. The collection contains a range of intelligence texts, including:

  • Intelligence and security history and institutions.
  • Reference texts and journals including the International Journal of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence.
  • Human intelligence and surveillance theory and practice.
  • Military history of the troubles in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007.
  • Police and military intelligence operations theory.
  • Language and culture.
  • Intelligence analytic tradecraft.

Naturally the reference library is available to registrants and authorised personnel, but also within the scope of the academic membership. Any scholar may make general enquiries into suitable texts by making a request to a member of the Intelligence Academy’s faculty. With the exception of volumes subject to copyright restrictions, copies and citations of the relevant material is sent to the lender by e-mail or by post. Borrowers have to pay for postage and make a copyright declaration, but the fee is nominal.

Research Assistance

In secret studies, finding sources for academic research can be incredibly difficult. Especially those with current knowledge. However, the Institute’s position as a regulating body makes its Intelligence Academy uniquely positioned to make a meaningful contribution to academic research. Specifically by arranging contacts or interviews with sources who possess a current knowledge of Human Intelligence practice.

Because of the nature of certification, registrants must be engaged in ongoing Intelligence practice in order to remain on the register. Specialists must be engaged in ongoing covert operations specifically within the human or signals/cyber domain. The Institute has contributed towards both historical and contemporary academic research in this field and will continue to do so in support of the profession. Offering students and researchers secure and compartmentalised access to the most sensitive parts of strategic policy making.

The Institute also offers research assistance to scholars by providing limited access to its founding research. A capability study on the development of European Human Intelligence training from the end of the second world war to the present day. A study which ultimately resulted in the development of the competence framework for European Intelligence. Students and researchers alike should remember that the development of research and the framework are ongoing as the demands the industry places on professionals constantly change.

The Intelligence Academy also represents the sole point of contact for external academic partners seeking research support. It’s staff teach at universities throughout the region, support intelligence research, distribute best practice to practioners and use other platforms to advocate for the professionalisation of the industry. All while providing assistace and support to increase the capabilities of intelligence professionals.

Secure & Anonymous Access

The Institute entrance exam is designed to assess the competency framework for general or specialist registration under strict examination conditions. Previously, the exam was undertaken on-site for these reasons. However, this represented a point of contention for professionals in sensitive posts whose anonymity and security are serious considerations.

Currently the Intelligence Academy handles the anonymisation of the examination and online invigilation using the same methods it employs to protect candidates during training. A valuable service that has increased confidence over the years and the Intelligence Academy now shares with education providers throughout Europe.

The general exam itself is also provided in a way that other education providers and secret intelligence training schools can deliver internally. The general exam consist of three parts corresponding to the three core competency domains. The specialist exam consists of seven parts corresponding to each of the competency domains for human-domain specialists. As long as they are covered in a way consistent with common assessment standards the examination can be considered valid.

As delivered by the Intelligence Academy the examinations are both closed-book, multiple choice and consist of 10 questions per section. Each question presents five possible answers, only one of which will be correct. It is Intelligence Academy policy to allow approximately 90 seconds per multiple choice question in exams with a minimum examination time of 15 minutes and a maximum length of 3 hours. The general exam lasts 30 minutes, while the specialist exam lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes.

This is no small undertaking for any candidate and security concerns can only make an already stressful time worse. Therefore, the Intelligence Academy is justifiably proud of its secure and anonymous implementation.