February 2, 2024
Canada warns of Iran research
Canadian universities and researchers studying advanced technologies will soon be ineligible for federal grants if they’re affiliated with foreign institutions the government says pose a threat to national security, including 12 from Iran.
The federal government on January 16 named more than 100 institutions in China, Russia and Iran that it says represent the “highest risk to Canada’s national security.”
The two most prominent named agencies from Iran are Sharif University and the Pasteur Institute.
The federal government also released what it called a list of “sensitive” research areas including advanced weapons, quantum technologies, robotics, aerospace, space and satellite technology and medical and health-care technology.
Researchers seeking federal grants to study in any of those fields will need to attest that they aren’t working with or receiving money from any of the foreign organizations and institutions cited by Ottawa as threats to national security.
The announcement comes at a time of heightened concern about foreign actors stealing Canadian research and intellectual property. Just last month, the head of Canada’s spy agency warned in a speech that no one should underestimate China’s efforts to steal Canadian research and meddle in its domestic affairs.
The 12 Iranian institutions on the list are:
• Aerospace Research Institute
• Baqiyatollah Medical Sciences University
• Defense Industries Organization Training and Research Institute
• Explosion and Impact Technology Research Center
• Imam Hossein University
• Institute of Applied Physics
• Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology
• Pasteur Institute of Iran
• Physics Research Center
• Shahid Beheshti University
• Shahid Sattari Air Force University • Sharif University of Technology