BGI: Higher Education

(asked on 1st December 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential implications for national security of UK Universities undertaking research either funded by or in partnership with the Chinese-state linked company Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI).


Answered by
George Freeman Portrait
George Freeman
This question was answered on 9th December 2021

The UK’s research sector is independent and free to make decisions on research collaborations. However, university due diligence processes should consider reputational, ethical and security risks and collaborations must remain within the limits of the law. The Government reserves the right to intervene, where we judge that collaborations are not in the national interest or breach domestic or international law.

The Government supports the sector to make informed decisions on international research collaboration through the Trusted Research campaign and supported Universities UK to develop guidelines, published in October 2020, to help universities tackle security risks related to international collaboration.

Additionally, BEIS is establishing a Research Collaboration Advice Team which will work directly with institutions to help embed best practice.

Reticulating Splines