BUCSIS HUMINT Conference, February 2026

The Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS) successfully hosted a fully booked conference on HUMINT policy and practice, bringing together practitioners, academics, and policymakers from across the intelligence and security community. The conference explored how closer collaboration between the HUMINT practitioner community and academia can deepen understanding of what works—and what does not—in contemporary HUMINT practice, particularly in increasingly complex operational environments.

Discussions focused on strengthening lawful, ethical, and effective approaches to the use and management of HUMINT as a critical intelligence collection capability. Participants highlighted the benefits of sustained academic–practitioner partnerships, including evidence-based policy development, improved training and professional standards, critical evaluation of methodologies, and the translation of research into operationally relevant insights. The conference underscored BUCSIS’s commitment to fostering dialogue that enhances both practice and scholarship in the intelligence field.

Dr Ian Stanier, the Director of the Centre for Research on Covert Human Intelligence Sources, based at The University of Buckingham stated:

“The conference reinforced the importance of closer collaboration between the practitioner community and academia in order to support data-driven research and the development of informed, effective policy and practice. The University’s programmes, including its specialist HUMINT offerings, play a central role in this effort by bridging theory and practice, equipping professionals with evidence-based insights that enhance ethical, lawful, and operationally relevant intelligence capabilities. The strong engagement of the practitioner community was particularly welcomed and demonstrated a shared commitment to reflection, learning, and continuous improvement across the profession.”