Twenty major UK universities have collectively accepted more than £ 40million in funding from Huawei and Chinese state-owned companies in recent years, raising concern among Tory MPs.
Research by the China Research Group (CRG) of hawkish conservative backbenchers has revealed details of some of the research grants awarded by large Chinese companies, some with direct links to the Chinese Communist Party regime , since 2015.
Imperial College London accepted between £ 3.5 million and £ 14.5million during this period from Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant which was banned from participating in the UK 5G network from 2027 due to security concerns.
This funding has been spent on research, including big data machine learning and work undertaken by the Faculty of Engineering.
Huawei also gifted the then Imperial provost a cell phone in 2016, although he understood he had not used it.
In addition, the university has received at least £ 10million from Sinopec, China’s state-controlled petroleum and chemicals company, and at least £ 6.5million from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic), a public defense and aerospace conglomerate, since 2016.
Meanwhile, Huawei has donated £ 1.1million to Lancaster University for research on topics such as semiconductors, computing and machine learning since 2015, and £ 890,000 to York University for undisclosed research projects.
The institutions made the disclosures in response to access to information (FOI) requests submitted by the MAF.
Other universities, including Bristol, Exeter and Heriot-Watt, have refused to disclose details of the funding deals, citing commercial sensitivity. The University of Southampton said it would take more than 18 hours, the threshold set by FOI law, to retrieve any relevant information.
The true total of funding channeled by Chinese companies to UK universities in recent years could therefore be well over £ 40million.
Grants raise questions about academic independence
Tom Tugendhat, who heads the CRG and is also chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, warned: “Chasing money around UK universities reveals connections and ties that will be seen by some as compromising the academic independence.
The senior Conservative MP told The Telegraph: “We need to know who pays the bagpiper and where the song leads.”
The funding revelations come following a government crackdown on visas for Chinese postgraduate students wishing to study sensitive topics in Britain, amid security concerns over espionage and theft of intellectual property.
Ministers approved the decision to tighten entry rules last fall amid fears Chinese academics could acquire “dual-use” technology that could benefit the People’s Liberation Army as well as civilian applications. .
On Tuesday, a Huawei spokesperson said the company supported calls for clearer guidelines on how foreign companies should engage with UK universities, adding: “We are incredibly proud of our partnerships with universities. companies that make a significant contribution to the economy, better connectivity and the fight against climate change.
Last year, members of the Commons Defense Select Committee claimed in a report that Huawei was “strongly linked to the Chinese state and the Chinese Communist Party despite its statements to the contrary,” citing its ownership model and subsidies. that he received.
Huawei hit back at the time, saying the report lacked credibility and was “built on opinions rather than facts,” urging people to “see through” the accusations. He has repeatedly denied being controlled or linked to the Chinese regime.