Ottawa unveiled on Tuesday a list of Chinese, Russian and Iranian research organizations that pose a risk to Canada’s national security, with which Canadian researchers active in certain cutting-edge sectors will no longer be able to collaborate if they wish to obtain federal funding . Research partners affiliated with almost all Quebec universities are targeted.
The list was established by federal authorities in collaboration with the Department of Public Security, which used already public information, but also top secret information held by Canadian intelligence services as well as information obtained from Canada’s allied countries .
From now on, it will be prohibited to request a federal grant for a research project in certain key areas that includes a researcher, funding or support from one of these institutions deemed problematic.
“These are organizations affiliated with military organizations, national defense organizations or security organizations of foreign states that present risks to the national security of Canada,” explained the ministers in a joint statement. François-Philippe Champagne, Mark Holland and Dominic Leblanc.
Hot areas being targeted include research in advanced communications technologies, cryptography, cybersecurity, superconducting materials, advanced radars, satellites, space stations, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, synthetic biology and exoskeletons.
“Canada’s world-class research ecosystem is defined by excellence and its open and collaborative nature. This openness can make it a target for foreign influence, which increases the risk of diversion of research and development efforts to the detriment of national security,” specifies the new Policy on Research in Sensitive Technologies and on Affiliations of Concern .
“For example, the illicit transfer of knowledge – particularly in transformative research areas such as AI, quantum computing and genetic engineering that could have dual use for military and surveillance purposes – poses major challenges for Canada and its allies,” the document continues.
The country with the highest number of blacklisted entities is China, followed by Russia and Iran. The list includes Chinese establishments where researchers carry out joint research with colleagues from the University of Quebec network, École Polytechnique, Laval, McGill and Concordia universities, among others.
The federal government’s new policy was developed in collaboration with Canadian academia, says Ottawa. Some institutions will lose access to foreign resources used in research due to the new bans, but government officials were keen to point out during a media briefing Tuesday that there is also a cost associated with diversion and to the theft of technologies by certain foreign actors.