The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) is designated medium risk for its defence research and unique links to the state through the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The University of Science and Technology of China is among China’s most prestigious universities in science and technology. Uniquely, it was established and is supervised by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, intended to serve national objectives in science and technology.https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-018-00088-y Xi Jinping personally inspected USTC in 2016, urging it to pursue “even more outstanding achievements in teaching and innovation.”http://archive.ph/OHScd It is a member of the C9 League and in the “211 Project” and “985 Project.” While providing undergraduate and graduate-level education, USTC is also highly active in research across a number of major laboratories, including several that support research that is related to national defense and the development of dual-use technologies, such as brain-inspired approaches to artificial intelligence and quantum information science. USTC has a long history of contributions to science in the service of the state,https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612599/science-vs-the-state-a-family-saga-at-the-caltech-of-china/ and it has recently sought to deepen its contributions to military research, including through establishing a new center for military-civil fusion.https://web.archive.org/web/20191111213714/https:/iat.ustc.edu.cn/hospital_recruitment/1682.html Several USTC professors, including prominently Pan Jianwei, have partnered with the defense industry to pursue military applications of their technologies.https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/quantum-hegemony
Major defence laboratories
- Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Space Information (中科院电磁空间信息重点实验室)https://web.archive.org/web/20190426005559/http://employment.ustc.edu.cn/cn/indexnews.aspx?sign=635487875427187007
- Established in 2012 by the Chinese Academy of Sciences as its first university-based defence laboratory, working on topics including cryptography and electromagnetic fields and microwave technology.
Apart from its defence-focused laboratory, USTC hosts a number of national laboratories that are engaged in defense-relevant research, including through its Advanced Technology Research Institute.http://www.zgsydw.com/anhui/20190319/510281_1.html
- National Engineering Laboratory for Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology and Application (类脑智能技术及应用国家工程实验室)https://web.archive.org/web/20191009054735/http://ustc.91boshi.net/m/job03_6.html
- Quantum Information and Quantum Science Frontier Collaborative Innovation Center (量子信息与量子科技前沿协同创新中心)http://archive.ph/4uhaf
- State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics (核探测与核电子学国家重点实验室)http://archive.ph/TAGIe
- National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (国家同步辐射实验室)http://archive.ph/BfZnJ
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronic Devices (集成光电子器件国家重点实验室)http://archive.ph/RcDCu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Quantum Information, USTC (中国科学院量子信息重点实验室)http://archive.ph/dpfVp
- CAS Center for Quantum Technology and Applied Research (中国科学院量子技术与应用研究中心)http://archive.ph/tlUaa
Defence and security links
Pan Jianwei, who leads USTC’s quantum science enterprise, has partnered with the Chinese defense industry and highlighted the potential military applications of this research.https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/quantum-hegemony
Noteworthy international collaborations
In January 2013, Princeton University signed a new memorandum of understanding with USTC to promote academic exchanges and research collaboration, including in fusion energy and plasma science.https://research.princeton.edu/news/princeton-establishes-partnership-leading-chinese-university
In 2015, the Ohio State University signed a memorandum of understanding with USTC in order to promote cooperative activities, including academic and scientific exchanges.https://oia.osu.edu/international-partnerships/4128-university-of-science-and-technology-of-china-ustc.html
Last updated 21 November 2019. Unclear about any wording? Visit the terminology page.