Canada names 100 Chinese, Russian, Iranian research institutions it says pose a threat to national security

Canadian universities and researchers studying advanced and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, will soon be ineligible for federal grants if they're affiliated with foreign institutions the government says pose a threat to national security.

On Tuesday the federal government named more than 100 institutions in China, Russia and Iran which it says represent the "highest risk to Canada's national security." The government says the listed institutions are connected to those countries' militaries and state security agencies.

The federal government also released what it called a list of "sensitive" research areas — including advanced weapons, quantum technologies, robotics, aerospace, space and satellite technology and medical and health-care technology. 

Researchers seeking federal grants to study in any of those fields will need to attest that they aren't working with or receiving money from any of the foreign organizations and institutions cited by Ottawa as threats to national security.

The new policy is set to come into effect sometime this spring, but the government said it can take research affiliations into account immediately if it sees a risk.

The announcement comes at a time of heightened concern about foreign actors stealing Canadian research and intellectual property. Just last month, the head of Canada's spy agency warned in a speech that no one should underestimate China's efforts to steal Canadian research and meddle in its domestic affairs.

"While Canadian-led research is defined by its excellence and collaborative nature, its openness can make it a target for foreign influence, increasing the potential risks for research and development efforts to be misappropriated to the detriment of national security," said Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Health Minister Mark Holland in a joint statement Tuesday.

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Canadian Security Intelligence Service director David Vigneault spoke at a conference with representatives of Canada's Five Eyes allies.

Federal government officials briefing reporters on the new policy Tuesday said they still don't have a complete picture of the extent of the problem.

The officials, who were speaking on background and not for attribution, said they don't have "precise" information on how many Canadian research entities have worked with the Chinese, Russian and Iranian institutions now listed as threats to national security.

"It's about the level of risk, not necessarily about the level of activity," said of the government sources.

The new policy applies only to grant applications to federal granting councils — the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

But one of the officials speaking to reporters said they hope that by listing sensitive research areas and calling out problematic institutions, Canada can send a message to researchers and provincial governments not to collaborate. 

The government said the list of institutions was compiled through open source and classified sources and can be updated if new concerns arise.