ASPI has launched a major new expansion of its globally recognised China Defence Universities Tracker, a database that now includes more than 180 Chinese civilian and military research institutions. It supports export control compliance, research security assessments, due-diligence research, international academic partnerships, investment screening and informed public debate. At that time, the primary concern was Beijing’s military-civil fusion agenda and the implications for Western research security. ASPI’s new research shows that since 2019, top Chinese universities have dramatically increased their research partnerships with Russian research institutions, especially in critical and dual-use technologies. From early 2026, updates will see new institutions added to the tracker and research additions extended to more existing institutions.