Pentagon orders security review of 30 universities into ties to 'foreign entities of concern'

The Pentagon has ordered 30 US universities to conduct security reviews of their academic, financial and research partnerships with foreign entities of concern, namely certain universities in or linked to China, Russia and Iran. The goal is to safeguard US taxpayer-funded research from unauthorized technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and adversarial exploitation.

If non-compliant, these universities risk losing federal funding. Harvard, MIT, NYU, and Georgetown are among the institutions named in the Pentagon's list. The audit will examine all identified foreign collaborations, evaluate the exposure of sensitive or export-controlled research, and require implementation of strict mitigation plans, including termination of problematic partnerships.

The affected universities receive about $60 billion annually in research and development funding. The audit comes amid heightened competition between the US and China in artificial intelligence, with concerns over China's alleged intellectual property theft and research espionage through universities. Republican lawmakers have called for tighter restrictions on Chinese student visas due to national security concerns.