The U.S. Department of Defense has ordered Emory University to conduct a “research security audit” examining its academic, financial and research ties to foreign entities of concern, according to a report from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Emory is among 30 U.S. universities directed to complete the reviews. The department has given the schools until Aug. 31 to submit their findings or risk losing federal research funding.
Emory confirmed to the AJC that it received the request and is reviewing it. The Defense Department has not publicly identified the 30 institutions or explained why they were selected.
The department said the audits are intended to identify vulnerabilities, enforce compliance and strengthen protections for federally funded research. The directive cites Section 1286 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which addresses foreign entities and talent programs considered threats to U.S. national security interests.
The short deadline has raised concerns among higher education groups. Sarah Spreitzer, vice president of government relations for the American Council on Education, told the AJC that research audits are not unusual but said the compressed timeline and implication that universities may have engaged in wrongdoing are troubling.
Emory received less than $10 million annually in Defense Department federal awards from 2021 through 2024, according to university data. That amount rose to nearly $27 million in 2025.
One foreign institution recently added to the Section 1286 list is Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, which has a partnership with Emory Law. Under the program, students spend a semester at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s KoGuan Law School before enrolling full time at Emory Law.
The Defense Department’s directive also references organizations associated with rebranded Confucius Institutes. Emory ended its partnership with Confucius Institute in 2020.
