The Canadian government announced yesterday restrictions on research funding in an attempt to prevent advanced technologies developed by Canadian Universities from allegedly being shared with China, Iran, and Russia due to "national security concerns."

Artificial intelligence, quantum science, robotics, biotechnology, advanced weapons, space and satellite technology, and human-machine integration are all on the Canadian government's published long list of "sensitive research" it wants to gatekeep. 

Canadian Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne believes that "Canadian research is at the forefront of discovery." Hence, according to his statement, "its openness can make it a target for foreign influence, increasing the potential risks for research and development efforts to be misappropriated to the detriment of national security." 

The new policy is to become effective in the coming months, however, Champagne stated that federal granting agencies might start taking research affiliations into account now.

China: Canada is politicizing technology

In response to Canada's step, Beijing's embassy in Ottawa stated that it had lodged "stern representations" with Canadian officials over the restrictions.

The Embassy released a social media statement firmly opposing the restrictions as it appears that "the Canadian side is using unfounded national security risks as an excuse to politicize normal technological exchanges and cooperation."

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"We urge Canada to... stop using (such) tools to hem in and suppress Chinese academic institutions, and create a good environment for a free and open international scientific cooperation ecosystem. Otherwise, it will only harm itself and others," the statement said.

What triggered Canada's announcement?

Canada's announcement followed the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's claim that China, for example, "was using joint academic research partnerships to obtain cutting-edge technologies for economic and military advantage."

In an attempt to back the claim with "evidence", Canadian media mentioned the existence of published  joint scientific papers between researchers at 50 Canadian universities and scientists "connected to the Chinese military." The latter covered areas like quantum cryptography and computing and space technologies. 

Canadian researchers will no longer be eligible for federal funding for research done in partnership with 103 entities including foreign universities (85 from China, 12 from Iran, and six from Russia) listed by Ottowa as it believes they pose "risks to national security." 

The ban is going to negatively affect thousands of applications for research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and others.

The turtle and the rabbit 

China's research advancements in numerous critical sensor technologies crucial for military navigation and targeting have significantly outpaced those of AUKUS: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) revealed.

The situation is further complicated for countries competing with China in this domain. Even if these three nations were to team up with like-minded Indo-Pacific nations, including Japan and South Korea, they would still find themselves unable to match China's output in high-impact research.

The ASPI's Critical Technology Tracker, designed to assess the global impact of cutting-edge research, concluded in its most recent report that, with regards to advanced sensors, China holds a leading position in various domains, including inertial navigation systems, magnetic field sensors, multispectral and hyperspectral imaging sensors, photonic sensors, radar technology, satellite positioning, and navigation systems, as well as sonar and acoustic sensors. Meanwhile, the US is only ahead in quantum sensors, atomic clocks, and gravitational sensors.

Read more: China miles ahead of AUKUS, allies in sensor technology: Think tank