WASHINGTON (UNN)— A congressional investigation released Wednesday found that weaknesses in research security at the U.S. Department of Energy allowed taxpayer-funded scientific work to be shared with Chinese entities tied to Beijing’s military and nuclear weapons programs.
The report, issued by the House Select Committee on China in coordination with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, concluded that inadequate oversight and permissive collaboration policies enabled Chinese institutions linked to China’s defense research system to participate in federally supported U.S. research.
Investigators identified roughly 4,350 research papers published between June 2023 and June 2025 that acknowledged DOE funding and involved collaboration with researchers in China. About half of those publications included partners connected to China’s defense research and industrial base, the report said.
The Department of Energy oversees 17 national laboratories and distributes hundreds of millions of dollars annually in research grants across fields that include nuclear science, advanced materials, electronics, and energy systems — areas with both civilian and military applications.
“This investigation reveals a deeply alarming problem: The Department of Energy failed to ensure the security of its research and it put American taxpayers on the hook for funding the military rise of our nation’s foremost adversary. The department, which oversees critical research and technological innovation, allowed research collaborations that were exploited by China,” said Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI).
The report cited cases in which DOE-funded researchers co-authored studies with Chinese state-owned defense conglomerates and laboratories associated with the People’s Liberation Army. Lawmakers said the work contributed to knowledge relevant to military aviation, electronic warfare, radar technologies, and strategic energy infrastructure.
“For decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has conducted intellectual property theft, cyber espionage, and illicit technology transfers under the guise of international research collaboration,” said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR).
The findings follow earlier congressional inquiries this year into federally funded research involving Chinese partners, including scrutiny of Harvard University over alleged ties to Chinese military-linked institutions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a U.S.-sanctioned paramilitary organization linked to abuses against Uyghur Muslims.
Lawmakers called for tighter controls on international research partnerships, improved coordination among federal agencies, and stricter limits on funding for projects involving entities tied to foreign defense systems.
China has previously denied U.S. accusations involving research collaboration, saying such claims politicize academic exchanges and overstate national security risks. The Department of Energy said it is reviewing the report’s findings.
