Danish institute boycotts foreign universities, citing concerns about military collaboration

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CN) — At a time of increasing geopolitical tensions, it is too risky to share academic knowledge of new technologies that could be used for espionage purposes, advanced warfare or strategic strikes by non-allied countries.

So said Technical University of Denmark upon announcing an end to its collaboration with 11 foreign universities, all of which work closely with their respective national military powers and industries, according to the Technical University of Denmark.

The university announced Wednesday that it will not hire employees nor receive students, guests and delegations from a list that includes Beijing Institute of Technology, National University of Defense Technology in China and Malek Ashtar University in Iran.

The concern is that, by engaging in joint research and student exchange programs, the university could contribute unwillingly to an ”inappropriate dissemination of knowledge,” Technical University of Denmark provost Rasmus Larsen told Courthouse News.

He pointed for example to the ”Seven Sons of National Defense” in China, a group of public universities that openly tailor their research to serve Chinese defense industry. In Iran, the fear is that technological progress could be used to advance the country’s atomic weapons program, Larsen said.

For the time being, he said, it is better not to send highly skilled and specialized Danish engineers or machine operators to either country.

”Research is subject to export regulations, if it can be used for military purposes," Larsen said. "For example, we are quite advanced when it comes to research in battery technology at DTU. That could easily contribute to a capacity boost in the Chinese military.”

In practice, the Technical University of Denmark's academic boycott includes extends beyond the 11 listed candidates to all universities in Iran, China and Russia that have significant connections to the national defense forces.

Four years ago, Danish newspaper Politiken reported that another institution, Aalborg University, worked with a Chinese surveillance company accused of human rights violations. Politicians were quick to demand a change.

”Our production of research across country borders has grown explosively in later years. At the same time, the world order is changing massively. We need to delve into whether our guidelines have kept up with the development,” Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen, former Minister for Higher Education and Science, said in July 2020.  

On May 22, the ministry published new guidelines for international research collaboration, specifying the importance of background checks on new university partners and a focus on protecting military know-how to prevent unethical use of technology abroad.

The Danish Security and Intelligence Agency recently ran a public campaign on ”safe research” and decorated cups and banners near universities with one-liner warnings like ”avoid becoming employee of the year in the Russian intelligence service” and ”your work could end up in Iran.”

The agency explicitly warned against Chinese and Russian espionage interests in Danish research.

It is therefore hardly surprising, Larsen said, that the Technical University of Denmark has imposed its restrictions. He recognized, however, that the decision conflicts with the view of universities as being politically agnostic.

”We have seen a turn of tides compared to 20 years ago, where the globalization optimism was bigger in Denmark. The idea that we share research openly to the benefit for all countries are now challenged by conflicts between different regimes,” Larsen said — adding that Denmark’s alliance with the U.S. and NATO inevitably impacts the academic community.

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