Universities: Espionage

(asked on 9th October 2026) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has she made of the level of national security risk posed by over 100 UK-linked academics identified as having contributed to projects funded by the China General Technology Research Institute in support of Chinese Ministry of State Security espionage.


Answered by
Dan Jarvis Portrait
Dan Jarvis
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
This question was answered on 14th October 2026

MI5’s recently published alert has exposed the very strong ties between the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI) and China’s Ministry of State Security. CGTRI’s primary purpose is to fund academic research which directly improves the Ministry’s technical capability for espionage

Institutions and academics should take reasonable steps to review their exposure to CGTRI and avoid or cease active or upcoming partnerships, while ensuring they comply with their obligations under the National Security Act 2023.

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