Pentagon gives 30 US universities two weeks to review foreign research ties
Pentagon orders 30 US universities to audit foreign partnerships, mainly with Chinese institutions, within two weeks or face funding loss.
The U.S. Department of Defense has directed 30 American universities to audit their international research partnerships, particularly those with Chinese institutions and military training bodies, as part of a broader national security review. The Pentagon announced Monday that schools failing to complete the review and terminate any problematic arrangements within two weeks could lose federal funding.
Emil Michael, the Pentagon's chief technology officer, said in a statement that the department has "zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security." The move is intended to protect taxpayer-funded research from theft and exploitation.
While the Pentagon did not publicly name the universities, a U.S. official familiar with the matter said the list includes Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Johns Hopkins University. The institutions have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Education groups have raised concerns about the directive. Sarah Spreitzer, vice president at the American Council on Education, said the announcement implies wrongdoing without providing evidence. She noted that the council helped develop the original list of foreign institutions during the first Trump administration and that most member schools have already moved away from such partnerships.
The audit follows the Pentagon's release last month of an updated list of 130 foreign institutions accused of activities that could lead to misappropriation of U.S. government-funded research. Most are Chinese, including the University of Science and Technology of China and the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, though several Iranian and Russian institutions were also included.
Spreitzer expressed concern that universities could be held accountable for partnerships that predate the creation of the list, adding that the education community has consistently cooperated with federal national security efforts.
The move comes amid broader tensions between Washington and Beijing. The Justice Department is separately investigating whether Harvard has allowed Chinese donors to fund scholarships that exclude American students. A Chinese embassy spokesperson rejected what they called the politicization of normal academic exchanges and urged the U.S. to abandon a "Cold War mentality."