9 October 2019

Australia’s security and our long-term national interest are, without question, at the forefront of Australian universities’ approach to international research engagement and collaboration.

International research collaboration is vital to Australia’s economic prosperity and to the global advancement of humanity. It creates jobs, and increases the international competitiveness of our industries. Without it we do not have medical breakthroughs, transformative technology, nor vital progress in so many important areas like food, water and energy security – to name a few.

Specific examples of UTS innovations - often with partner universities or companies - in the fields of engineering, IT, artificial intelligence and robotics include:

  • developing a truly intelligent water meter that monitors any leakages in pipes;
  • automated systems for detecting cyberbullying in social networks;
  • systems that predict the health of geriatric patients from multimedia observations; and
  • drones equipped with AI able to identify sharks and crocodiles, and alert lifesavers or rangers to their locations.

Australia’s universities are constantly working with Government and the national security agencies to ensure we have the appropriate procedures and policies in place to safeguard our national security while conducting critical research for our society’s wellbeing, particularly at a time of rising geopolitical tension between major world powers.

However, like our Prime Minister, universities do not see Australia’s choice as being a binary one. When it comes to research collaboration, we must work with traditional partners like the US as well as emerging powerhouses like China, in all fields where they specialise – but always in Australia’s national interest.

UTS is proud of its academics, many of them world-leading in their fields, who on a daily basis conduct their work diligently and ethically, and who follow all rigorous processes, procedures and safeguards. These researchers bring great credit to their universities and their countries, and do not deserve to be individually targeted, or have their good reputations tarnished by innuendo and inference of wrongdoing or worse, disloyalty to Australia.

Four Corners have asked for specific research funding data. UTS research income and expenditure is transparently reported to the NSW Auditor General each year in our annual report and financial statements, which are tabled in NSW Parliament and published online. The latest version can be found here.

Four Corners have also asked questions about a number of specific UTS research collaborations, which are detailed below.

China Electronics Technology Corporation (CETC)

Following reports that a subsidiary of CETC had developed surveillance technology for use in China’s Xinjiang province, UTS reviewed its research partnership with the company. The summary of the review report can be found here.

The review found that all UTS research was foundational in nature (that is, would require further development work before being able to be applied); that UTS had acted appropriately in setting up the partnership; that it had complied with all Defence Trade Controls; and that no research outputs from the partnership could have been used directly in Xinjiang due to the timelines. The review report articulates the steps we are undertaking in relation to current projects. UTS has no plans for further work with CETC.

Haiyun Data (HYData)

UTS is aware of a Chinese website article which suggested that UTS and HYData have established a joint AI lab. The article is inaccurate and is a complete misrepresentation of our collaboration with HYData.

The only collaboration UTS has with HYData is a single project started in 2018 investigating the digitisation of multiple-authored hand-written Chinese character annotations on printed documents. Handwritten Chinese characters are challenging for software systems to recognise because of the freedom of an individual’s penmanship and the technology is less mature than that for European language scripts. The research could reasonably be used in many office environments globally.

UTS’ Centre for Artificial Intelligence has no relationship whatsoever with HYData, and has received no funding from them. 

Guandong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS)

UTS signed an MOU with GDUFS in 2016. Under the MOU are two agreements, one for study abroad (under which there has been no activity to date) and one for students in classes at GDUFS to transition to UTS (or a range of other overseas universities) at the end of two years and complete our Bachelor degree in another two years. UTS has received approximately 20 students through this pathway. There is no research collaboration between the institutions.

Global Tone Communication Technology (GTCom)

UTS has no relationship with this organisation.

Language Big Data Alliance

UTS has no relationship with this organisation.