{
  "id": 8022887,
  "title": "Sicherheit an Universitäten: Bayern verschickt Fragebögen: „Gibt es für sensible Forschungsdaten besondere Schutzmaßnahmen?“",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/sicherheit-an-universitaten-bayern-verschickt-fragebogen-gibt-es-fur",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-17T12:18:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/sicherheit-fragebogen-an-unis-wie-werden-wissen-und-forschung-geschuetzt/100255056.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "The Bavarian Ministry of Science is conducting a large-scale survey of its research institutions to determine how they protect their research and knowledge from espionage and knowledge leakage. The state has sent a questionnaire to each institution, which the Handelsblatt has obtained. Spying incidents, proximity to China, connections to Russia: German universities have been exposed to various dangers for years. Recently, the Federal Criminal Police Office revealed two alleged spies arrested at the Technical Universities in Munich and Aachen, who allegedly tried to obtain sensitive knowledge for China. In mid-June, the Handelsblatt reported on close ties between the Helmholtz Center for Information Security (Cispa) in Saarbrücken and the People's Republic of China, as well as a critical drone cooperation between TU Munich and a military-oriented university in China, which is in turn linked to a military research institute in Moscow. The CSU-led federal research ministry harshly responded to the Cispa case, appointing Alexander Geschonneck and his forensic team from KPMG as special auditors. Meanwhile, Bavarian politicians initially reacted defensively to the TU Munich case, with Minister-President Markus Söder declaring: \"There is a high sensitivity. Our universities have this in mind.\" However, the Bavarian state government is now looking closer at the security situation, as it encourages its state universities to also focus on military research. Bavaria seeks an overview of the security landscape, as the state has previously had no overview. The questionnaire is titled \"Knowledge Security - First Survey of Research Institutions.\" Universities often rely on their autonomy and the constitutionally protected freedom of science, refusing political influence. The Federal Office for Constitutional Protection has long warned of scientific espionage from China, which acquires technology and know-how through intelligence networks and \"overwhelmingly illegally\" through scientific exchange and cooperation programs with German universities and top research institutions. \"Chinese institutions take legal gray areas, lack of risk awareness, and academic scientific freedom in Germany advantageously,\" the office describes the situation. Insiders report that few universities take security issues seriously, employ little personnel, and leave professors to determine their own security measures. Bavaria wants to inquire about how much personnel universities deploy to comply with regulations, such as export control, and whether knowledge security is strategically anchored at the university, following a model decided by committees and implemented by individuals. They also want to know if there is an active commission for ethics and security-relevant research, who holds responsibility, and if the institution networks with other universities, security authorities, or associations. \"Are there special protective measures?\" The Ministry of Science asks if institutions conduct risk assessments for collaborations, staff, publications, or travel, and if so, how. \"Do you use standardized risk assessment methods specifically for international collaborations?\" \"Do you use special tools or databases for checking?\" And \"Do you have procedures to protect intellectual property in international collaborations?\" The Ministry is interested in how the universities specifically protect themselves, how they handle recognized risks, if there are established procedures, and if there is ongoing review after collaboration approvals. Additionally, the Ministry asks if there are special protective measures for sensitive research data, unpublished research findings, or strategically relevant knowledge against cyberattacks, unauthorized access, or data leakage. Research data could be classified, emails encrypted, and cyber risks considered in collaborations, projects, and travel. Even the question of whether security incidents are recorded and evaluated, and what countermeasures are derived, interests the Ministry. The Federal Intelligence Service advises particular caution in collaborations and international personnel, urging partners to conduct thorough vetting and identify potential channels for knowledge and technology leakage before entering into research cooperation or hiring new employees. The Technical Universities, which often cooperate with China, are particularly noteworthy for their security measures.",
  "summary": "Der Verfassungsschutz warnt: Wissensabfluss gefährdet die nationale Sicherheit. Die Politik reagierte bisher verhalten auf brisante Vorfälle an Universitäten. Nun handelt ein Bundesland.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}