MEDIA ADVISORY – ISGAP Responds to Texas A&M President’s Statement on Qatar Funding
NEW YORK – January 9, 2024 – The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) acknowledges President General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III’s response to our recent report on Qatar’s funding of Texas A&M University and wishes to communicate the following statement:
Dr. Charles Asher Small, Director of ISGAP: “We acknowledge Texas A&M President Welsh’s prompt response to ISGAP’s report containing worrying findings about Qatari Regime funding and ownership of sensitive Texas A&M research. However, contrary to President Welsh’s statements dismissing some of the claims of the research, our comprehensive report details the confidential business-academic agreement granting the Qatar Regime unprecedented control over academic research, standards, faculty, students, access to personal information of staff and students, curriculum, and budgets at the university. At the same time, it is important to note that President Welsh did not dispute Qatar’s ownership of over 500 research projects, including their Intellectual Property and student information – we believe this is a critical point that requires further examination. We therefore call for an urgent meeting with President Welsh to present the full findings and foster transparency in addressing the serious implications highlighted in our report.”
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Last week ISGAP sent a letter to senior US officials, security agencies and legislators supported by a comprehensive report, revealing that Qatar is funding, controlling and buying the rights to research projects including nuclear, AI, biotech, Cybersecurity and robotics research, warning of a serious potential threat to US national security.
According to the research, in return for over a billion dollars in funding, a substantial portion of which remains unreported and unregulated as required by United States law, Qatar has acquired full ownership of more than 500 research projects at Texas A&M, some of which are in highly sensitive fields such as nuclear science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biotech robotics, and weapons development.
Critically, the confidential business-academic agreement uncovered in the report indicates that Qatar has been granted unprecedented control over academic research and standards, faculty, students, curriculum, and budgets at Texas A&M – one of the largest universities in America and a senior military college which hosts sensitive nuclear and weapon development research.
The full report details highly sensitive research projects, such as a piston reactor for nanoparticle synthesis, a semi-continuous reactor engine, and the design, manufacturing, and testing of an aperture mechanism for a solar reactor. These projects raise concerns about the misuse of advanced materials, implications for advanced propulsion systems with military applications, and dual-use capabilities in both civilian and military technologies.
ISGAP calls for a comprehensive Federal and State governmental investigation into sensitive research funded by Qatar at Texas A&M University in both the U.S. and Qatar, including all of the 500 projects owned by Qatari groups. Simultaneously, ISGAP is urging an immediate suspension of these research endeavors until the matter is thoroughly examined by relevant security, regulatory, and oversight bodies. Furthermore, ISGAP is advocating for more regulation and oversight of research in areas crucial to national security when funded by foreign sources and the cessation of any additional Qatari Government funding, whether direct or indirect via state-owned proxies, to American universities operating in Qatar or within the United States.
The full report can be accessed here.
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For media inquiries contact Raoul Wootliff at [email protected]