Today, the U.S. Department of Education, alongside the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's (ODNI) National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) and other federal partners issued new guidance in its Safeguarding Academia bulletin to alert U.S. colleges and universities about increasing foreign threats to their research and to arm them with mitigation strategies for addressing these threats.
The joint bulletin and accompanying reference guides provide information about the risk environment on campuses, including steps institutions can take to mitigate dangers associated with foreign talent recruitment programs, overseas research collaborations, espionage activities of foreign intelligence services, and cyber intrusion. In addition to outlining best practices for institutions and individual researchers, the materials encourage institutions to report suspicious activities and concerns to the relevant U.S. authorities.
“For decades, hostile foreign actors have exploited the open nature of America’s taxpayer-funded research universities for their benefit, stealing critical technology and research, planting spies, and poaching talent to commit espionage against the United States. This joint bulletin equips colleges and universities with the information to identify and combat this malign foreign infiltration,” said U.S. Department of Education’s Chief Investigative Counsel Paul Moore. “We hope this bulletin is an effective resource for institutions and researchers, and that educational institutions use this information to uphold their obligations to prevent and mitigate malevolent foreign activity.”
“U.S. colleges and universities drive critical research that fuels America’s innovation and economic growth, advances our global competitiveness, and contributes to U.S. national security. However, foreign adversaries are increasingly exploiting the open and collaborative environment of U.S. academic institutions for their own gain,” said James Cangialosi, NCSC Acting Director. “Today’s bulletin highlights this evolving security threat and provides mitigation strategies that academic institutions can implement to better protect their research, their institutions, as well as their staff and students. With the new school year starting, it’s critical to get these materials in the hands of academic institutions now.”
Background
Alongside the Department, NCSC issued this bulletin in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF); the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command (ACIC); the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI); the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA); the Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS); and others across the federal government and academic community.
Since January 20, the Department has initiated four investigations or records requests into universities for untimely and inaccurate foreign financial disclosures, in violation of Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, including Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania.