An investigation into research collaborations at Australian universities has revealed ongoing partnerships involving Chinese and Russian institutions with military or dual-use research connections. These developments have raised questions about the oversight and security risks posed by foreign involvement in sensitive scientific projects.
At the University of Sydney, Professor Matthew Cleary, director of the Australian Rocket Systems Training Network, has worked with Chinese researchers linked to institutions involved in China’s defence sector. Cleary co-authored papers with engineers from the Institute for Aero Engine at Tsinghua University—a university reportedly connected to China’s missile and nuclear technology development—and the Research Institute of Aero-Engine at Beihang University, part of the so-called “Seven Sons of National Defence” consortium. Their joint research on soot particles and combustion of liquid fuel spray received funding from both the Australian Research Council (ARC) and Chinese science organizations.
Cleary acknowledged supervising Chinese students engaged in environmental engineering studies whose outputs were published after they returned to China but denied any current or past contracts involving Chinese entities in his rocket science work. He emphasised that his recent high-speed combustion and rocketry research since 2022 involves only vetted collaborations within Australia and allied countries including the United States and United Kingdom, with no involvement from Chinese institutions. A University of Sydney spokesperson highlighted the importance of academic freedom and said international collaboration is permitted provided researchers comply with all relevant laws, ethical standards, and government guidelines.
In parallel, The University of Adelaide announced a detailed investigation into research led by engineering professor Peng Shi after a report identified links with Chinese researchers from universities credited with creating mosquito-sized military drones and drone swarm algorithms. While the university stated it was unaware of any connection to military applications such as the so-called “kill them all” algorithm, Professor Shi denied any transfer or contribution of ARC-funded research to these military projects.
At the University of Wollongong, neuroscientist Professor David Adams collaborated on a spider venom study with Russian scientists from the Institute of Bio-organic Chemistry, an organisation historically associated with biological weapons research. The joint publication described potential applications of spider venom peptides for bioengineering, but Adams clarified the collaboration was a one-time scientific partnership initiated by a Russian researcher seeking his laboratory’s electrophysiological expertise. He stressed there was no ongoing relationship, and the work focused on therapeutic drug discovery rather than any military purpose.
A spokesperson for the University of Wollongong highlighted the institution’s compliance with Australian laws concerning international research collaborations and noted the published research is freely available to the global scientific community. They added that the specific collaboration had no separate approval beyond standard research governance.
Other Australian universities have also come under scrutiny. The University of Queensland recently had a project cancelled by the federal government after collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to study toxins from a native stinging tree. The ARC withdrew $711,000 in funding for that work. The University of Western Australia defended ongoing partnerships involving AI researcher Winthrop Professor Mohammed Bennamoun and Chinese colleagues.
These cases illuminate ongoing tensions in Australian higher education between fostering international scientific cooperation and safeguarding national security interests in sensitive fields. Government officials and university administrators continue to balance academic freedom with risk management amid growing concerns over foreign influence in research involving military-related technologies and toxins.