German politicians from several parties are calling for broad, regular security reviews of research institutions. The trigger is serious shortcomings at the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security involving Chinese partners in highly sensitive fields. Johannes Schätzl, the Social Democrats’ digital-policy spokesperson, urged the federal government and Germany’s states to check for similar vulnerabilities elsewhere. Key technologies and dual-use research must have no blind spots, he said, while stressing that scientific openness should not become naivety.
Marc Henrichmann, a Christian Democrat who chairs the Bundestag’s intelligence oversight committee, said research security requires greater awareness of espionage risks. Green Party deputy leader Konstantin von Notz called the CISPA case a warning for other research and business institutions. Green research-policy spokesperson Ayse Asar proposed barring China-based institutions, companies and partners from key technologies funded through Germany’s High-Tech Agenda, and adopting common criteria for research centers. She also called for no cooperation with the “Seven Sons of National Defense” or other institutions under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Five universities in the Seven Sons group have worked with CISPA. These elite institutions have close defense-industry ties and take part in classified projects, including weapons development. The report says 20 German universities and technical universities nationwide cooperate with the group. Handelsblatt had earlier reported that CISPA worked with Chinese researchers at military-linked universities listed on U.S. sanctions registers. Germany’s domestic intelligence service says the case reflects a wider threat: it says China has built a system to transfer technology and know-how to strengthen political, economic, technological and military influence. Sensitive areas include quantum technology, AI, hypersonics, biotechnology and surveillance, all of which can have civilian and military uses.
The federal government and Saarland commissioned KPMG to conduct a special audit. The classified report is about 400 pages, with initial findings disclosed on Wednesday. Research Minister Dorothee Bär told a Bundestag committee that, figuratively speaking, the doors at CISPA had been left wide open and basic security measures were absent. The federal government and Saarland, as the center’s owners, have since parted ways with its director. An export-control specialist who reviewed published work by the former scientific head and another senior division leader said some papers warranted scrutiny, particularly those connected to Chinese universities or Chinese funding.
The specialist warned that recipients of Chinese grants may have disclosure obligations to the Chinese state, raising the risk of knowledge leakage. The expert said German foreign-trade rules and the EU’s dual-use regulation may require review, with the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control involved. Recommendations include reviewing current and planned CISPA collaborations with Chinese institutions and funders, requiring disclosure of external funding, and screening international co-authorship in advance, especially with military-linked institutions. Schätzl also said partners should be checked for ties to the military, intelligence services or other state bodies. Source: Handelsblatt.