Alberta's major universities hit pause on new research initiatives with China

Alberta’s four major research universities have put a hold on new research initiatives and the renewal of existing research agreements with entities in China, as directed by the provincial government.

“In conjunction with the University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge and University of Alberta, Athabasca University has temporarily paused the development of new research agreements with the PRC (People’s Republic of China),” Dr. Andrew Perrin, PhD, associate vice-president of research at Athabasca University, said in an email to Research Money.

Senior executives at the four universities said they also complied with a request issued in May by Alberta Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides to provide a report detailing all agreements, research relationships, institutional relationships and joint ventures under way with entities connected to the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party.

Laurie Chandler, press secretary for Nicolaides, confirmed that Advanced Education has received all of the universities’ reports and is currently reviewing them. “We will have more to say on this soon,” she said in an email.

Perrin at Athabasca University (AU) said any new research initiatives with China will be on pause until AU can consider and integrate the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships developed by the Government of Canada-Universities Working Group.

AU is refining and formalizing processes to ensure future research partnerships benefit from early risk assessment and strategic support, he said.

However, AU currently doesn’t have formal partnerships with organizations in the People’s Republic of China or affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, he said.

Collaborations with academics at universities in the Chinese region, including Taiwan, represent a very small percentage of research publications by AU faculty — only 2.3 per cent since 2018, Perrin noted.

Dr. Dena McMartin, PhD, vice-president of research at the University of Lethbridge, said in a statement to Research Money that U of L has “no substantive or ongoing agreements or programs of research” connected to the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party.

Balance needed between research collaboration and security

Dr. William Ghali, vice-president of research at the University of Calgary, said UCalgary has had guidelines for researchers regarding all international research in place since 2019.

The guidelines detail considerations researchers must take when forming an international collaboration, including intellectual property protection, cybersecurity, personal security and appropriate data management and stewardship, he said in an email.

“These guidelines are not sweeping, nor are they specifically focused on one country,” Ghali said. “They encourage researchers to be discerning when creating a research partnership, as opposed to dissuading them from one.”

Ghali said UCalgary has reviewed its existing partnerships with entities in China, including for the university’s Global Research Initiative (GRI) in Sustainable Low Carbon Unconventional Resources.

“All UCalgary partnerships with entities in China appear to have all key elements of security in place, and all are creating societal good and positive impacts” — including the GRI, he said.

The GRI has a research site in Beijing, related to development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources such as shale and geologically “tight” natural gas and oil. The site is located in the Beijing offices of the Kerui Group, a major private Chinese oil and gas company operating in more than 45 countries.

“This collaboration in China has led to many joint publications and growing research partnerships with companies, universities and institutions in China,” according to information on UCalgary’s website.

Energy, biopharmaceuticals, health, transportation, academia and manufacturing are targeted sectors in Canada for state-sponsored espionage by various countries, according to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

Ghali pointed out that the majority of universities in China have links to the Chinese government, just as most Canadian universities have links to governments in this country.

Research is a global pursuit, so there must be a balance struck between international collaboration and synergy — “the cornerstone of scientific progress” — and security considerations, he said.

“Eliminating opportunities to collaborate with entire countries is a step backwards,” Ghali said. “If restrictions go too far, they will hinder scientific progress to great detriment.”

University of Alberta has extensive collaboration with China

Among the four universities, the University of Alberta has the most extensive scientific collaboration with entities in China, including in strategically important areas such as nanotechnology, biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

The collaboration involves dozens of projects with state and national Chinese labs, and joint ventures with Chinese companies and state institutions.

“The U of A has always been committed to safe, responsible collaborations, including research, commercialization and technology transfer – and to that end, has a number of checks, processes and policies in place whenever we enter into formal agreements,” said Dr. Aminah Robinson Fayek, PhD, vice-president of research and innovation, in an email to Research Money.

U of A recognizes the significantly heightened security landscape, so it is evaluating possible enhancements to strengthen its security practices in line with those developing at the national level, she said.

U of A has implemented the federal national security guidelines and, in June, formalized a Safeguarding Research Working Group to lead and coordinate the university’s activities in this area, Robinson Fayek said.

The Working Group is helping researchers navigate the new processes implemented by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) for its Alliance grants, including a risk assessment sub-committee that does an internal review of all such applications, she said.

Researchers seeking more tools to assess security risks

NSERC immediately applied the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships, after they were announced in July, to the funding agency’s Alliance grants for any application involving private sector partner organizations, said Dr. Marc Fortin, PhD, vice-president, research partnerships, at NSERC.

To support the research community, NSERC updated all relevant instructions and resources on the Alliance website and in NSERC’s online system, he said. NSERC also led several outreach sessions involving Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Public Safety Canada, with post-secondary institutions across the country to raise awareness and understanding of the guidelines and their application, according to Fortin.

NSERC is also working with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and other federal partners to solicit feedback on the guidelines, he added.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently mentioned potential national security risks in international research in a Dec. 16 mandate letter to Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino. The letter asked Minister Mendicino to promote economic security and combat foreign interference "by expanding collaboration and information and intelligence sharing with Canadian partners and all orders of government to address security risks in foreign research and investment partnerships."

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