--- title: MI5 warns UK academics their research may have helped... description: MI5 publicly warned that more than 100 UK-linked academics contributed to research projects funded by the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI),... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-warns-uk-academics-their-research-may-have-helped-chinese-spies-af22qtswg twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: MI5 warns UK academics their research may have helped Chinese spies | daily.dev og:description: MI5 publicly warned that more than 100 UK-linked academics contributed to research projects funded by the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI),... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-warns-uk-academics-their-research-may-have-helped-chinese-spies-af22qtswg og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/aF22qTSWG.png og:image:alt: MI5 warns UK academics their research may have helped Chinese 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 warns UK academics their research may have helped Chinese spies **[The Register](https://daily.dev/sources/theregister)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary MI5 publicly warned that more than 100 UK-linked academics contributed to research projects funded by the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), an organization MI5 says has strong ties to China's Ministry of State Security. The funded research reportedly covered AI, cybersecurity, covert communications, and steganography, and MI5 believes it bolstered Chinese espionage capabilities, though many researchers may have dealt with CGTRI unknowingly. UK universities are urged to review collaborations with CGTRI and verify true funding sources, with MI5 citing potential offenses under sections 3 and 17 of the National Security Act 2023 for materially assisting or benefiting from a foreign intelligence service. ## 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 (CGTRI) and why did MI5 issue a warning about it? CGTRI, also known as the China Academy of General Technology (CAGT), is an organization MI5 says has very strong ties to China's Ministry of State Security. MI5 states its primary purpose is funding academic research that directly improves the MSS's technical espionage capabilities, and more than 100 UK-linked academics have contributed to CGTRI-funded projects covering AI, cybersecurity, covert communications, and steganography. _Security and research teams tracking state-linked funding risks can follow this kind of reporting on daily.dev._ ### What UK laws could researchers violate by unknowingly working with a foreign intelligence-linked funder? Under the National Security Act 2023, section 3 makes it an offense if conduct is likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service and the person knows or ought reasonably to know this, while section 17 covers accepting or retaining a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service under the same knowledge standard. Legitimate payment for lawful goods or services is excluded from these offenses. _Developers and researchers navigating funding compliance risks can track legal and security updates 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 - [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 - [Chinese spies are using LinkedIn to lure Westerners into sharing sensitive information](https://daily.dev/posts/chinese-spies-are-using-linkedin-to-lure-westerners-into-sharing-sensitive-information-7myylkfly) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Five Eyes: Watch out for odd LinkedIn connection requests, China's back on the hunt for state secrets](https://daily.dev/posts/five-eyes-watch-out-for-odd-linkedin-connection-requests-china-s-back-on-the-hunt-for-state-secret-vnd7ljtxm) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-warns-uk-academics-their-research-may-have-helped-chinese-spies-af22qtswg) ```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 warns UK academics their research may have helped Chinese spies","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-warns-uk-academics-their-research-may-have-helped-chinese-spies-af22qtswg","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-warns-uk-academics-their-research-may-have-helped-chinese-spies-af22qtswg"},"datePublished":"2026-10-01T14:07:21.876Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T14:20:18.225Z","description":"MI5 publicly warned that more than 100 UK-linked academics contributed to research projects funded by the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI),...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/d891af55d34f32eba33f6dd2e36c3eb3?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/d891af55d34f32eba33f6dd2e36c3eb3?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"The Register","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 Register","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/66aa2113fdad463992ffcbf0e8963fda","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/theregister"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-warns-uk-academics-their-research-may-have-helped-chinese-spies-af22qtswg","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"","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 Register","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/theregister"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"MI5 warns UK academics their research may have helped Chinese spies"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/mi5-warns-uk-academics-their-research-may-have-helped-chinese-spies-af22qtswg#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI) and why did MI5 issue a warning about it?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"CGTRI, also known as the China Academy of General Technology (CAGT), is an organization MI5 says has very strong ties to China's Ministry of State Security. MI5 states its primary purpose is funding academic research that directly improves the MSS's technical espionage capabilities, and more than 100 UK-linked academics have contributed to CGTRI-funded projects covering AI, cybersecurity, covert communications, and steganography. Security and research teams tracking state-linked funding risks can follow this kind of reporting on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What UK laws could researchers violate by unknowingly working with a foreign intelligence-linked funder?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Under the National Security Act 2023, section 3 makes it an offense if conduct is likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service and the person knows or ought reasonably to know this, while section 17 covers accepting or retaining a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service under the same knowledge standard. Legitimate payment for lawful goods or services is excluded from these offenses. Developers and researchers navigating funding compliance risks can track legal and security updates on daily.dev."}}]} ```