Foreign states could be stealing Cambridge research, warns MI5
Leading vice-chancellors were briefed on the risks of foreign interference in a meeting with security services
Cambridge University has been briefed on the risk of foreign powers trying to steal their research by the MI5 and the UK Government.
Last Thursday (25/04), MI5 warned vice-chancellors that sensitive research could be vulnerable to theft by hostile states intent on developing their own military and economic abilities.
At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden also announced government plans for a consultation on additional measures to protect universities against security threats.
While there was no direct reference made to individual states at the meeting, Parliament’s intelligence and security committee has previously warned that China could be gaining undue influence in British research.
Last September, Cambridge University was found to have accepted over £2 million from BIACD, one of China’s leading manufacturers of military drones. In November, it was found that Cambridge University received over £26 million in research funding from Huawei, a Chinese telecoms company considered a security risk by the UK government.
Amid growing concerns that foreign powers could attempt to steal research from UK universities, the consultation aims to improve security around technology still under development and research with dual-use capabilities in both military and civilian life.
Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group, commented that Russell Group universities “already work closely with the government and the intelligence community” in efforts to protect ’“UK breakthroughs in fields like AI”.
“We also recognise security is a dynamic and evolving challenge, which means we need the right expertise and intelligence to keep pace with this,” Bradshaw continued.
- Features / From suits to sweatshirts: how formal traditions at Cambridge are changing18 May 2024
- News / Cambridge academic confirms new notes by John Milton19 May 2024
- News / Clare fellows chicken out of ‘vegan’ formal16 May 2024
- News / Suella Braverman visits Cambridge encampments16 May 2024
- News / PG president begins hunger strike over SU failings17 May 2024