Recipients of Federal Research Security Funding Partnered With Chinese Military Universities, China Committee Head Alleges

American scientific research is meant to be safeguarded by federal agencies. They may now be fueling China’s military modernization efforts instead.

The chairman of the China Select Committee, Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), alleged in a March 10 letter that several recipients of grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) conducted research with scholars linked to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The grants were awarded through the “Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem” (SECURE) operated by NSF.

The allegations highlight China’s ongoing efforts to penetrate U.S. higher education and the need for a stronger coordinated federal response to combat Beijing’s efforts to steal military-related research.

SECURE Grant Recipients May Have Violated Contract Terms

As a condition of receiving SECURE funds, universities must commit to enhancing their internal research security programs. This includes instituting screening programs to prevent foreign adversaries from accessing federally funded research and other innovations. In the letter to NSF Interim Director Brian Stone, however, Moolenaar asserted that several grant recipients, including the University of Washington and Texas A&M University, may have violated their NSF contracts along with U.S. export control regulations.

According to records obtained by the committee, University of Washington scholars published numerous papers related to artificial intelligence (AI), military biotechnologies, and materials science with scientists embedded within the PLA. The committee also highlighted several projects between Texas A&M University and the PLA’s National University of Defense Technology related to reconnaissance and imaging technologies. One project may have relied on NASA funding to support research with Chinese entities, a violation of the 2011 Wolf Amendment.

China Targets U.S. Higher Education To Fuel Military Modernization

China has consistently targeted the U.S. higher education system as a source of basic research to fuel its military modernization efforts.

A joint investigation by the China Select Committee and House Committee on Education and the Workforce last December revealed that the Department of Energy had funded thousands of academic papers on nuclear research, bringing together American academics and Chinese scholars embedded within Beijing’s military-industrial complex.

Another investigation released in February by the Center for Research Security and Integrity, an independent research firm, estimated that the federal government had funneled nearly $1 billion toward research involving Chinese defense-linked entities between 2019 and 2025, including projects related to directed energy systems.

Chinese military-linked universities have also allegedly used federal resources to circumvent U.S. export controls. A January investigation by the China Select Committee alleged that major Chinese defense universities, most notably NUDT, maintained standing access to NSF supercomputing networks — an allegation later verified by screenshots of NSF’s supercomputing access portal captured by NextGov/FCW. The Commerce Department introduced new export controls in 2022 to prevent U.S. supercomputer components from aiding China’s nuclear weapons and AI programs.

Congress Must Prioritize Stronger Research Security Standards

China consistently exploits gaps between the federal government and the U.S. higher education system to gain access to military-applicable research. In response, Congress should close these gaps by working with the Trump administration to formalize intergovernmental cooperation between national security agencies, such as the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and major grant-making agencies, such as the Department of Energy and NSF.

Moreover, grant-making agencies should exercise greater oversight to prevent federal funds from being used to conduct research with Chinese or other foreign listed entities. This would include amending the terms of its grant contracts with universities and laboratories and requiring more frequent audits for these institutions to remain eligible for funding.

Jack Burnham is a senior research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Jack and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Jack on X @JackBurnham802. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.