Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2023 to HL9736 on University of Cambridge: China, what advice the Research Collaboration Advice Team has given to universities on partnering with Chinese genomics companies.

The Government wants to enable collaborative international research, while ensuring universities engage with all companies, including Chinese genomics companies, in a way that takes account of national security concerns and is compliant with the UK’s security policies and regulations. As part of our proactive engagement with academia, the Research Collaboration Advice Team (RCAT) provides tailored advice to universities on national security risks in international collaborations. All advice is provided in confidence and is specific to the context and needs of each university. RCAT advice is informed by the NPSA's Trusted Research campaign and the UK Biological Security Strategy.