MI5 Warns UK Academics Unwittingly Fuelled Chinese Espionage

The UK's domestic security agency MI5 issued a rare public alert on 30 September, warning that more than 100 UK-linked academics have contributed to research projects funded by the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), also known as the China Academy of General Technology (CAGT). MI5 says this organisation's primary purpose is to fund research that directly improves the technical capability of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), the agency responsible for both domestic and foreign intelligence operations.

According to MI5, academics have contributed to CGTRI-funded projects covering artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, covert communications systems and steganography, all of which can support espionage activity. Many of the academics involved may not have realised that CGTRI was the actual funding source behind the research they were supporting.

MI5 has strongly advised UK academic institutions to review existing and planned collaborations with CGTRI and to trace the funding behind any research partnerships involving Chinese institutions. It recommended using government resources such as the Research Collaboration Advice Team and the National Protective Security Authority's Trusted Research guidance, and pointed to legal risks under the National Security Act 2023, including offences for assisting a foreign intelligence service or obtaining benefits from one.