Australia will draw up a list of critical and emerging technologies that are subject to restrictions on foreign research collaboration, a parliament intelligence committee heard on Thursday.
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Security agencies already screen international collaboration on military or dual-use technologies done by universities but in a review led by the Prime Minister's office and home affairs, other emerging technologies that present an economic risk will be identified.
The director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, said it was a departure from past practice that economic competition was being considered in a national interest assessment.
The committee is holding an enquiry into national security risks to universities, and many submissions have focused on China, where a large number of students come from. Burgess did not identify China but said one foreign state had been highly active in its interference attempts in Australia, including cyber intrusions.
