US Department of War directs 30 academic institutions to review foreign collaborations

Executed by the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, the action is designed to protect American taxpayer-funded research investments from unauthorised technology transfer, intellectual property theft and adversarial exploitation.

“The Department of War has zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security,” Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael said.

“Institutions that receive funding from American taxpayers must uphold the highest standards of research security, and these mandated audits will ensure accountability across the board.”

The notified organisations allegedly involve Georgetown University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, San Diego; University of Texas at Austin; Emory University; Harvard University; Oklahoma State University; Penn State University; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Cincinnati; University of Minnesota; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of South Carolina; University of Southern California; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Bryant University; Cornell University; Drake University; Duke University; Illinois Institute of Technology; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma; Portland State University; Southern Illinois University Carbondale; Stony Brook University; University of Delaware; and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

To maintain eligibility for future federal research funding, the notified universities must complete a comprehensive audit of all identified foreign collaborations, assess the exposure of sensitive or export-controlled research and implement strict mitigation plans, including the termination of problematic partnerships.

Institutions are required to report their findings and actions directly to the department no later than 31 August this year.

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“Universities are critical partners in executing a wide range of Department of War research programs, and the Department must therefore ensure that our research investments are well protected from foreign exploitation,” said Dr Joseph Jewell, Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technology.

Through these audits, the Department of War will better anticipate emerging threats, adapt to evolving adversarial tactics and maintain America’s position as a global leader in innovation.

The department is pursuing this effort alongside partners in Congress.

Together with the House and Senate armed services committees, the House and Senate appropriations committees and the House select committee on the Chinese Communist Party, the department continues to build a robust research ecosystem that protects critical discoveries from exploitation.