Dundee University has announced a new Chinese partnership despite warnings from UK spy chiefs about the threat the country poses.
The university announced on Monday it had signed the agreement with the Hunan Province Department of Education (HPDE) and Xiangtan University.
They say it aims to increase educational exchanges and deepen “mutual understanding between Scottish and Chinese students and researchers”.
HPDE is the local arm of the Chinese government, and among its stated responsibilities is a requirement to undertake work to “organise and study Party building and ideological and political construction policies”.
The UK’s domestic intelligence service Mi5 and GCHQ, the cyber intelligence service, have repeatedly warned universities about the risk of espionage.
UK spy chief’s warning to universities
Mi5 director general, Ken McCallum, in a rare public warning to British academics, said attempts to steal UK research happen with “dispiriting regularity”.
He said: “The UK is seeing a sharp rise in aggressive attempts by other states to steal competitive advantage. It’s the same across all five of our countries. The stakes are now incredibly high on emerging technologies.
“States which lead the way in areas like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and synthetic biology will have the power to shape all our futures.”
Mr McCallum added: “If your field of research is relevant to advanced materials or quantum computing or AI or biotech, to name but a few, your work will be of interest to people employed by states who do not share our values.”
Universities have been urged to sign up to the Trusted Research programme.
As well as guidance on how to protect valuable data, it also involves rigorous security checks to protect research which could be useful to foreign powers.
SNP MP Stewart MacDonald, who previously warned Scotland was “overexposed” to the threat from China, said the Dundee agreement should be viewed with a “critical eye”.
He told The Courier: “While collaboration in education is essential for global progress, we must approach agreements like the one between Dundee University, the Hunan Province Department of Education, and Xiangtan University with a critical eye.
“The involvement of the Hunan Province Department of Education, with its explicit ties to the Communist Party of China and its focus on ideological and political construction, raises legitimate concerns about academic freedom and independence.
“While international agreements greatly enrich our communities and education sector, it’s imperative that we diversify funding sources and not overly depend on any single country, especially one that has been identified as a strategic competitor and national security threat.
“We should remain cautious about the potential strings attached to funding from sources like Confucius Institutes and prioritise our commitment to intellectual freedom above all else.”
Responding to a number of questions about the agreement, a University of Dundee spokeswoman insisted due diligence had been carried out before the agreement was signed.
She said: “In entering into any partnership or forming memoranda of understanding we carry out due diligence and review the rationale for teaching, research, or engagement.
“We are actively engaged with and supportive of the Trusted Research agenda which requires all universities to undertake appropriate due diligence with their partners.”
Conversation