--- title: MI5 says over 100 UK academics worked on projects funded... description: MI5 has publicly warned UK universities about the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), alleging it funds academic research to improve the... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-says-over-100-uk-academics-worked-on-projects-funded-by-china-s-spies-a8stx7wpo twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: MI5 says over 100 UK academics worked on projects funded by China’s spies | daily.dev og:description: MI5 has publicly warned UK universities about the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), alleging it funds academic research to improve the... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-says-over-100-uk-academics-worked-on-projects-funded-by-china-s-spies-a8stx7wpo og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/a8STx7WpO.png og:image:alt: MI5 says over 100 UK academics worked on projects funded by China’s spies og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # MI5 says over 100 UK academics worked on projects funded by China’s spies **[The Next Web](https://daily.dev/sources/tnw)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary MI5 has publicly warned UK universities about the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), alleging it funds academic research to improve the capabilities of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS). More than 100 UK-linked academics reportedly worked on CGTRI-funded projects spanning AI, cybersecurity, covert communications and steganography, often without knowing of the MSS link. The alert cites potential offenses under the UK's National Security Act 2023 and urges universities to review collaborations immediately. Security minister Dan Jarvis wrote to vice-chancellors urging an end to ties with the institute, while the Chinese embassy in London dismissed the accusations as fabricated. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the China General Technology Research Institute and why is MI5 warning about it? MI5 identifies the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), also known as the China Academy of General Technology, as an entity whose primary purpose is to fund academic research that improves the technical espionage capability of China's Ministry of State Security. More than 100 UK-linked academics worked on CGTRI-funded projects covering AI, cybersecurity, covert communications, and steganography. _daily.dev surfaces security advisories like this for researchers vetting institutional funding sources._ ### What UK laws could apply to academics who continue China-funded research tied to intelligence services? Two offenses under the National Security Act 2023 apply: section 3 covers acting in a way likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service, where the person knew or reasonably ought to have known of that risk, and section 17 covers obtaining a material benefit from such a service. MI5 advises anyone continuing CGTRI-funded work to seek legal advice. _Academics navigating funding compliance risks can track evolving security guidance on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [China-Nexus Actor Spied on US Researchers Undetected for a Year](https://daily.dev/posts/china-nexus-actor-spied-on-us-researchers-undetected-for-a-year-hvasfiprt) · Dark Reading · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [US disrupts Chinese hacking tools as 7 govts warn of PRC spies stealing sensitive data worldwide](https://daily.dev/posts/us-disrupts-chinese-hacking-tools-as-7-govts-warn-of-prc-spies-stealing-sensitive-data-worldwide-pfx0sisvi) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Suspected Chinese spies raid university mail servers](https://daily.dev/posts/suspected-chinese-spies-raid-university-mail-servers-whyqbq5ka) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Public and Private Medical Community Targeted by China-Nexus Threat Actor Pursuing Artificial Intelligence, Cyber, Medical, and National Defense Research](https://daily.dev/posts/public-and-private-medical-community-targeted-by-china-nexus-threat-actor-pursuing-artificial-intell-bbp2hfwem) · Google Cloud · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#ai](https://daily.dev/tags/ai) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-says-over-100-uk-academics-worked-on-projects-funded-by-china-s-spies-a8stx7wpo) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"MI5 says over 100 UK academics worked on projects funded by China’s spies","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-says-over-100-uk-academics-worked-on-projects-funded-by-china-s-spies-a8stx7wpo","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-says-over-100-uk-academics-worked-on-projects-funded-by-china-s-spies-a8stx7wpo"},"datePublished":"2026-10-01T14:19:24.156Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T14:20:18.228Z","description":"MI5 has publicly warned UK universities about the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), alleging it funds academic research to improve the...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/57508afe8527007ddc0028f388fd69a4?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/57508afe8527007ddc0028f388fd69a4?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"The Next Web","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Next Web","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/tnw","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/tnw"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-says-over-100-uk-academics-worked-on-projects-funded-by-china-s-spies-a8stx7wpo","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"ai","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Next Web","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/tnw"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"MI5 says over 100 UK academics worked on projects funded by China’s spies"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-says-over-100-uk-academics-worked-on-projects-funded-by-china-s-spies-a8stx7wpo#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the China General Technology Research Institute and why is MI5 warning about it?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"MI5 identifies the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), also known as the China Academy of General Technology, as an entity whose primary purpose is to fund academic research that improves the technical espionage capability of China's Ministry of State Security. More than 100 UK-linked academics worked on CGTRI-funded projects covering AI, cybersecurity, covert communications, and steganography. daily.dev surfaces security advisories like this for researchers vetting institutional funding sources."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What UK laws could apply to academics who continue China-funded research tied to intelligence services?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Two offenses under the National Security Act 2023 apply: section 3 covers acting in a way likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service, where the person knew or reasonably ought to have known of that risk, and section 17 covers obtaining a material benefit from such a service. MI5 advises anyone continuing CGTRI-funded work to seek legal advice. Academics navigating funding compliance risks can track evolving security guidance on daily.dev."}}]} ```