Britain's domestic security service MI5 warned UK universities and researchers to immediately review related cooperation, saying the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI) is funding research to bolster the espionage capabilities of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS).

MI5 said on Sept. 30 local time that more than 100 UK or UK-linked researchers took part in CGTRI-funded projects. Research areas included AI, cybersecurity, covert communications systems and steganography, which hides information inside other data. MI5 judged CGTRI's main purpose was to fund academic research that directly improves the MSS' technical intelligence capabilities.

MI5 said some researchers may have joined projects in good faith without knowing the ultimate source of the funding. It recommended verifying the final source of funds when conducting joint research with Chinese institutions, as CGTRI may not appear as a contracting party.

MI5 warned institutions and individuals continuing related research to familiarise themselves with the National Security Act 2023 and seek separate legal advice. The law allows punishment for materially supporting UK-related activity by a foreign intelligence service, or for acquiring or receiving material benefits while knowing they were provided by a foreign intelligence service. British Defence Minister Dan Jarvis (댄 자비스) also asked each university president to end ties with CGTRI.

China denied the suspicions in full. The Chinese embassy in Britain rejected MI5's claims as a "complete fabrication based on imagination" and said it had lodged a protest with the British side. It also said research cooperation between universities in the two countries is carried out voluntarily in line with laws and regulations, and urged British intelligence agencies not to undermine education and research exchanges.

The warning shows that conflict between Britain and China over the possibility that civilian academic research, including AI and cybersecurity, could be diverted to national security and espionage technology is expanding into university research settings.