China’s Huawei, a state-linked electronics giant, has reportedly been providing funding for advanced research at American universities through a nonprofit called the Optica Foundation based in Washington. According to a recent Bloomberg News report, Huawei is the sole sponsor of a research competition run by the Optica Foundation, offering a million-dollar prize for optical research projects. Despite the substantial funding, university officials, competition applicants, and even judges were unaware of Huawei’s involvement, as the company’s participation was kept confidential in a secret agreement signed in 2021.
The Optica Foundation also offers other prizes and fellowships unrelated to Huawei, but with smaller cash rewards. Legal experts have raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding Huawei’s donations, as it raises national security implications given the sensitive nature of some of the research topics being funded. For instance, research into undersea and space-based communications solutions and high-sensitivity optical detectors could have defense and commercial applications.
Some universities, like Texas A&M and Harvard, have policies against working with Huawei due to concerns about security risks linked to the company’s products. Despite claims by Optica that Huawei’s donations are legally sound and approved by the board, the company’s reputation and history of U.S. sanctions raise red flags for many in the research community. Additionally, the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in American institutions has sparked growing concern, with efforts to investigate Chinese financial contributions to universities falling short under the current administration.
Overall, Huawei’s covert funding of research projects through the Optica Foundation has raised questions about the integrity of academic research and the security risks involved in accepting donations from a controversial entity like Huawei.
