California Universities Face Deadline to Sever Ties With Foreign Adversaries or Lose Federal Funding

The Department of War has directed 30 U.S. academic institutions—including four prominent California universities—to conduct immediate and comprehensive audits of their academic, financial, and research collaborations with foreign entities of concern. The formal notifications, issued Monday by the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, target ties linked to Section 1286 of the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, as well as organizations associated with rebranded Confucius Institutes. 

California institutions on the list are the University of California, Berkeley; University of California, San Diego; University of California, Los Angeles; and the University of Southern California. These schools must complete full reviews of identified foreign partnerships, evaluate any exposure of sensitive or export-controlled research, and implement mitigation measures—including termination of problematic collaborations—by August 31, 2026. Failure to comply could jeopardize eligibility for future federal research funding.

 “The Department of War has zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security,” said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. “Institutions that receive funding from American taxpayers must uphold the highest standards of research security, and these mandated audits will ensure accountability across the board.” Dr. Joseph Jewell, Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technology, added that universities are critical partners in Department research programs and that protections against foreign exploitation are essential. 

The action aims to safeguard taxpayer-funded research from unauthorized technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and adversarial exploitation. It is being pursued in coordination with congressional partners, including the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, Appropriations Committees, and the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

This federal directive arrives against a backdrop of longstanding scrutiny of California higher education’s extensive international research ties, particularly with entities linked to the People’s Republic of China. 

UC Berkeley has faced repeated questions over its Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI), a joint venture that secured tens of millions in funding from Chinese government sources. Reports have highlighted underreporting of foreign contracts and gifts, including more than $25 million from China-based entities on U.S. government watch lists, as well as partnerships involving dual-use technologies with potential military applications. 

Similar concerns have surrounded collaborations at UCLA, UC San Diego, and USC. California once hosted multiple Confucius Institutes—at institutions including UCLA, UC Davis, San Diego State University, and others—before most closed amid national security warnings and federal funding restrictions. Critics have long argued that these programs, along with rebranded successors and joint research institutes, provided avenues for influence, censorship of sensitive topics, and potential access to cutting-edge American research in fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technology, and aerospace. 

California Globe has previously reported on patterns of foreign engagement at U.S. universities, including joint degree programs and research partnerships with Chinese institutions tied to the People’s Liberation Army and the CCP’s military-civil fusion strategy. Those reports documented how American taxpayer dollars have supported collaborative projects that later advanced Chinese military and technological capabilities. 

In 2023, the University of California system  implemented enhanced review processes for international affiliations involving countries of concern and emerging technologies, yet federal officials clearly believe deeper audits are still required.The four California universities now face a tight deadline to demonstrate compliance. Their responses will determine whether they retain access to the substantial Department of War research funding that underpins much of the state’s research ad development sector. 

As the audits proceed, the outcome will test whether California’s premier research institutions can fully seperate legitimate scientific collaboration from partnerships that place national security at risk.