Britain is strengthening its defences against hostile state interference with new briefings and support to protect our universities, researchers and political system.
Senior leaders from over 70 universities attended a security briefing delivered by MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum and National Cyber Security Centre CEO Richard Horne, to increase understanding of how foreign interference can manifest, including attempts to shape and censor research or teaching, along with how to resist and report it.
The rare event, only the second of its kind and the largest to date, was hosted by Security Minister Dan Jarvis and Skills Minister Jacqui Smith. It was followed by a separate second-of-its-kind security briefing for officials from all UK political parties, underscoring a non-partisan commitment to recognising and resisting attempts to manipulate the political process and our democratic values.
It comes as £3 million is being invested in a package of measures to tackle the issue in our world-class universities. The new Academic Interference Reporting Route will enable senior leaders at universities to report concerns directly to the government, including security services. This will enable individual concerns to be acted on more quickly, whilst also building a bigger picture of the threats facing UK institutions.
The Department for Education will consult the sector on the design of a new proactive advisory service, alongside further guidance and training.
New guidance has also been published today to help staff and students understand the concerns, where to go for support and how to respond.
This support will help to give the sector the confidence and support they need to research and teach without fear of consequence or pressure from foreign states, helping to restore them as engines of opportunity, aspiration, and growth.
Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said
Our universities’ world-class reputation makes them a prime target for foreign states and hostile actors, who seek to erode that reputation by shaping or censoring research and teaching.
We do not take this lightly. We are working together across government and with universities themselves to defend the UK’s thriving academic environment.
By working together and sharing information, we are standing united against political pressure from foreign state actors.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis said
Today we’ve taken tough action to make the UK a harder target for foreign interference.
We have to be clear-eyed that our world-class universities and democratic processes are being targeted by states who want to undermine our way of life.
That’s why we’re launching a new tool to help universities get support from security experts, as well as making sure people at the heart of our democracy know how to report foreign interference.
Sir Ken McCallum detailed the sophisticated methods used by hostile actors to shape research and teaching content in higher education, including the use of professional networking sites and financial lures to cultivate relationships with academic staff and students.
The briefing for Vice Chancellors was first announced by the Security Minister in November as part of the Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan.
When briefing political parties, Sir Ken McCallum provided an overview of the evolving threat landscape, focusing on how foreign powers seek to interfere in our democracy and political processes.
Arif Ahmed, Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom at the Office for Students, said
Free speech and academic freedom are fundamental values that are essential to the mission of higher education.
We’ve always been clear that universities must resist external state threats to academic freedom, and that suppression of research because of the disapproval of a foreign government is unacceptable in practically any circumstances.I look forward to working with students, staff, universities and colleges and government to develop effective responses to these significant and growing threats.
Dr Tim Bradshaw, Chief Executive of the Russell Group, said
As global research leaders and educators of around 750,000 students a year, our universities have a vital role to play in the shared responsibility of national security. We have always valued the government’s genuinely collaborative approach on these issues.
The new single point of contact for advice on foreign interference will empower institutions to report and take action more swiftly and confidently, knowing there is support in place.
This will help us maintain our learning environments as places where all students and staff can continue to inquire, study and discuss ideas freely.
Vivienne Stern MBE, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said
Universities UK works closely with UK ministers, government departments, and security agencies to help protect our universities against foreign interference, and we welcome the spirit of partnership which this government has exhibited.
We should not tolerate any form of coercive, deceptive, or criminal activity from a hostile actor that seeks to undermine the UK’s strategic national interests.
It is precisely because UK universities are world-leading that they may become targets for hostile actors.
UUK remains committed to facilitating long-term capacity building and awareness raising and to working collaboratively with government to enhance our sector’s resilience and to equip universities to pursue international collaboration that is trusted, secure and sustainable.