Denmark Steps Up Academic Screening to Curb Foreign Espionage in Research Institutions

Denmark’s top universities have intensified vetting of international researchers — particularly those from China, Russia, and Iran — amid rising concerns over intellectual espionage and foreign influence in sensitive research domains. 

This quiet yet sweeping shift in academic policy, first reported by Danish broadcaster DR, reveals a growing global unease: universities are no longer immune to the shadow wars of geopolitical rivalry.

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At the center of this development is Aarhus University, one of Denmark’s leading institutions. So far in 2025, it has rejected 24 research applications purely on security grounds. 

The vetting isn’t based on merit — many of the rejected candidates were academically qualified — but on perceived risks tied to foreign coercion or surveillance.

According to internal processes described in the DR investigation, any application from Chinese, Russian, or Iranian nationals automatically triggers a multilayered review. 

This includes scrutiny of the candidate’s co-authors, previous affiliations, research domains, and connections to defense-related projects.

Applicants in “wet science” fields — like energy systems, computer science, and water technologies — are most heavily scrutinized, given their potential value to both civilian and military sectors. 

The assumption, university officials say, is not guilt but risk: some candidates might be vulnerable to state pressure to leak sensitive work.

These measures, while restrictive, are part of a nationwide institutional effort. The Danish Ministry of Education and Research, along with the country’s cyber and infrastructure security agency, has urged all universities to tighten controls on high-risk research pipelines — particularly as hybrid threats from foreign governments grow more sophisticated.

Universities like Copenhagen, Aalborg, and Southern Denmark are also screening applicants and partnerships rigorously. 

At Aalborg University, hundreds of background checks and risk assessments have been conducted in recent years, evaluating candidates’ publication records, funding sources, and institutional ties.

Screening has also become a resource-intensive affair. Aarhus University has hired five dedicated specialists fluent in Russian, Chinese, and Persian to manage this security protocol. 

Plans are underway to add physical security upgrades, modify travel rules, and issue encrypted tech devices to staff traveling to countries flagged as high-risk.

Copenhagen University has even outsourced parts of its vetting to external firms, particularly in the natural and health sciences.

While critics argue that the system risks shutting out globally competitive talent, Danish institutions maintain that it is a necessary tradeoff to safeguard academic freedom and national security. 

With Europe tightening its cybersecurity and information sovereignty protocols, Denmark’s approach may well serve as a model for like-minded democracies navigating the fine line between openness and security.