CHINESE RESEARCH INSTITUTE BANKROLLED ESPIONAGE-LINKED STUDIES, SAYS MI5

Thu 01 October 2026:

MI5 accused a Chinese research institute of funding academic work to strengthen Beijing’s espionage capabilities, urging UK universities to review their collaborations with the organization.

Britain’s domestic security service said in a public espionage alert that the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI) has strong ties to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), the country’s civilian intelligence and security service. The institute is also sometimes referred to as the China Academy of General Technology.

“MI5 has identified that the primary purpose of CGTRI is to fund academic research that directly improves MSS technical capability for espionage,” it said.

More than 100 UK-linked academics have contributed to research projects funded by the MSS through CGTRI, according to MI5.

The projects covered artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, covert communications systems and steganography, a technique for concealing information within other material.

MI5 said the activity supported Chinese espionage and threatened UK national security. It acknowledged that some academics might not have known the institute was funding the Chinese research projects to which they contributed.

The agency urged UK academic institutions to review ongoing or planned collaborations with CGTRI immediately and advised researchers working with Chinese institutions to establish the ultimate source of funding.

It said many institutions and individuals would have engaged with CGTRI in good faith because its connections to Chinese intelligence had been concealed.

MI5 warned institutions and researchers to consider potential criminal consequences under the National Security Act 2023, particularly provisions concerning assistance to a foreign intelligence service and receipt of material benefits from one.

Institutions or individuals continuing research ultimately funded by CGTRI should seek independent legal advice, it said.

-Source: AA

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