A congressional report finds China used collaborations with DOE-funded U.S. researchers to gain access to sensitive nuclear and other dual-use technologies. Investigators identified over 4,300 joint papers from June 2023 to June 2024, about half involving researchers tied to China’s military or industrial base. The report urges standardized national-security risk assessments, stronger DOE policies and mandatory interagency information-sharing. Lawmakers and university leaders remain divided over proposed restrictions, which passed the House but did not become law.
Report: China Exploited DOE-Funded U.S. Research To Access Sensitive Nuclear And Dual-Use Technologies
FILE - Flags of the U.S. and China are displayed at the Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
A congressional report released Wednesday concludes that China has leveraged collaborations between U.S. researchers funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) to obtain access to sensitive nuclear technologies and other innovations with both economic and national security applications.
Key Findings
Investigators from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce identified more than 4,300 academic papers published between June 2023 and June 2024 that documented collaborations between DOE-funded scientists and Chinese researchers. The report states that roughly half of those papers involved Chinese researchers affiliated with China’s military or industrial base.
Particularly troubling to lawmakers, the review found federal funds tied to collaborations with Chinese state-owned laboratories and universities that work directly for China’s military—some of which appear in a Pentagon database of Chinese military-linked companies operating in the United States. The report also detailed partnerships with entities accused of cyberattacks and groups implicated in human rights abuses.
Why This Matters
The Energy Department routinely supports advanced research across a wide range of strategic fields, including nuclear energy and weapons development, quantum computing, materials science and physics. The DOE oversees 17 national laboratories and awards hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding each year. The report’s authors argue that longstanding policy gaps have made taxpayer-funded research vulnerable to exploitation by China’s defense research and industrial base.
"These longstanding policy failures and inaction have left taxpayer-funded research vulnerable to exploitation by China’s defense research and industrial base and state-directed technology transfer activities," the authors wrote.
Recommendations And Legislative Responses
To reduce risk, the report recommends a standardized approach for assessing national security risks in federally funded research, stronger DOE policies for evaluating projects with foreign partners, and mandatory information-sharing with other U.S. agencies to help detect problematic ties.
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), who chairs the select committee, said the findings show the DOE has failed to secure research and warned that taxpayer dollars may have helped strengthen the military capabilities of a strategic rival. He sponsored legislation this year to block funding for collaborations with entities described as "foreign adversary-controlled." The bill passed the House but was not included in the final annual defense policy bill.
The proposed measures drew strong pushback from many in the research community. Scientists and university leaders warned that broad restrictions could chill collaboration, hinder scientific progress and weaken U.S. competitiveness. In October, more than 750 U.S. faculty and senior university staff urged Congress to adopt "very careful and targeted measures for risk management" rather than sweeping bans.
Responses
The Department of Energy did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report and its recommendations. A message seeking comment was also left with the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
Bottom line: The report highlights a persistent tension between protecting national security and preserving open scientific collaboration. It calls for clearer, standardized rules and better interagency coordination to ensure taxpayer-funded research does not inadvertently advance foreign military capabilities.
