A new House investigation alleges Harvard maintained research and financial relationships with Chinese entities linked to Beijing’s military and human-rights controversies, prompting calls for tighter safeguards.

House Committees Release Harvard Report

Two US House committees have raised concerns over Harvard University’s relationships with entities linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), saying the university’s research and foreign-funding practices could create national-security risks.

The House Select Committee on China and the House Education and Workforce Committee released a 53-page investigation titled “Compromised Independence: CCP Influence at Harvard University.” The committees said they reviewed thousands of pages of university and Chinese government documents, interviewed Harvard personnel and examined testimony during the inquiry.

Concerns Over Chinese Military Links

The investigation alleges that Harvard-affiliated researchers collaborated with researchers at Chinese universities connected to the country’s defence research and industrial base.

According to the report, Harvard researchers co-authored more than 140 publications with scholars affiliated with China’s so-called “Seven Sons of National Defense” universities. US authorities have identified these institutions as having links to China’s military research and development ecosystem.

The committees said some of the research involved technologies with potential civilian and military applications, including robotics and other advanced scientific fields.

Report Raises Research Security Questions

The congressional investigation criticised what it described as Harvard’s approach to research security, arguing that legal compliance alone may not adequately address broader national-security concerns.

One example cited in the report involves research on bio-inspired soft robots for deep-sea exploration involving a Harvard-affiliated researcher and a researcher from Beihang University, which is among the Chinese institutions highlighted by US authorities.

The committees argued that technologies developed through such research could potentially have military applications, while Harvard research officials have treated collaborations on a case-by-case basis.

Harvard Global Faces Funding Scrutiny

The report also examined Harvard Global, a nonprofit affiliate of the university. Congressional investigators alleged that the organisation could be used to handle funding arrangements in circumstances where Harvard itself could not accept a sponsor’s terms.

The committees questioned whether such arrangements could undermine federal requirements governing disclosure of foreign gifts and contracts. They said Harvard removed language describing the affiliate’s role after receiving a draft of the congressional report.

The issue has added to broader US scrutiny of foreign funding at American universities, particularly where financial relationships involve institutions or organisations connected to strategic competitors.

Concerns Over Xinjiang-Linked Officials

The congressional report also raised concerns about an executive education programme run by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

According to the investigation, records connected some sessions with officials affiliated with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a Chinese paramilitary organisation sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.

However, the report acknowledged that it was unclear whether XPCC-affiliated officials ultimately attended every programme identified by investigators. A Harvard professor involved in the programme told investigators that she had not been aware of the organisation’s sanctions status at the time.

Lawmakers Demand Stronger Safeguards

The committees have called for significant changes to Harvard’s research-security and foreign-funding practices.

Their recommendations include centralising research-security operations, strengthening vetting procedures, hiring personnel with national-security and export-control expertise and preventing collaboration with entities appearing on US restricted or sanctions lists.

Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar said leading US universities have a responsibility to protect American research and innovation and should not advance the interests of adversarial governments.

Harvard-China Debate Intensifies

The findings place Harvard at the centre of a growing US debate over foreign influence in higher education. Congressional scrutiny is increasingly focused on whether American universities can maintain international research partnerships while protecting sensitive research, complying with funding-disclosure rules and limiting exposure to national-security risks.

The committees’ investigation does not establish that every collaboration cited was conducted for military purposes. Instead, lawmakers argue that partnerships involving Chinese institutions linked to defence or sanctioned organisations require greater scrutiny.

The report is likely to intensify pressure on Harvard to strengthen its research-security and foreign-funding systems as Washington continues examining China-related relationships across US universities.