The Department of War ordered 30 universities to complete an “immediate and comprehensive” review of their ties to certain foreign institutions, according to an Aug. 17 news release. UT is among those institutions, according to reporting by the Texas Tribune and the Austin-American Statesman.
The order directs the institutions to evaluate “academic, financial and research collaborations” with foreign institutions identified as engaging in activities that threaten national security. The institutions include universities in China, Russia and Iran, and organizations associated with Confucius Institutes, which promote Chinese culture and language on university campuses and have received allegations of espionage by members of Congress.
The University must provide the audit by Aug. 31 or it may become ineligible for future federal research funding, according to the news release. The report must include a summary of all collaborations with foreign institutions, an assessment of the exposure of sensitive research and a plan for mitigating exposure.
“The Department of War has zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security,” wrote Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, in the news release. “Institutions that receive funding from American taxpayers must uphold the highest standards of research security, and these mandated audits will ensure accountability across the board.”
The audit order comes after the Texas House Committee on Higher Education held a hearing on foreign influence and research security at Texas colleges and universities earlier this week. The hearings considered the effectiveness of the Higher Education Research Security Council, which Texas established last year to protect Texas research institutions from foreign interference and prevent theft of intellectual property.
The University did not respond to multiple requests for comment.