Thirty US universities face potential loss of federal funding unless they review and sever foreign academic partnerships that the Pentagon considers a national security risk. This directive, largely aimed at ties with Chinese institutions, requires action within the next two weeks.
Institutions including Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, and Cornell have been ordered to conduct and report these reviews, and to end problematic partnerships, by August 31. A US official provided the full list to the Guardian, which also includes the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, San Diego; Penn State University; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Southern California; Duke University; and New York University.
Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, stated that the Department of War has "zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security." The Pentagon indicated that these reviews are intended to safeguard taxpayer-funded research from unauthorised technology transfers, intellectual-property theft, and exploitation by foreign adversaries.
This order follows the Pentagon's release last month of an updated list of 130 foreign universities and research institutions. The Pentagon claims these institutions engage in activities that increase the risk of misappropriation of US-funded research and development. Most are Chinese, with some Russian and Iranian institutions also listed.