Scotland’s universities urged to guard against Chinese and Russian espionage, MI5 warns

Alyn Smith, Scotland’s tertiary education minister, has written to all further-education institutions urging them to tighten security after MI5 disclosed espionage threats from China and Russia on university campuses. The security service identified the China General Technology Research Institute as a front for the Chinese Ministry of State Security, noting links to more than 100 UK-affiliated academics, some possibly unaware of the front’s true nature.

Smith stressed the need for robust cyber and communications safeguards and advised universities to obtain legal counsel regarding compliance with the 2023 National Security Act. University heads, such as Sir Peter Mathieson of Edinburgh University, attended a rare MI5 briefing, describing the alert as highly unusual while confirming no existing collaborations with the institute. St Andrews University denied any connections, and the University of Glasgow did not respond. The Chinese embassy in London dismissed the accusations as fabricated.