This cautious approach is necessary to protect sensitive information and prevent foreign influence in research, Universities explained [according to Danish broadcaster DR].

Aarhus University is the one for which the Danish broadcaster managed to get the most information. Here, in 2025 alone, 24 research applications have been rejected for security reasons. According to DR’s story, the university now automatically subjects candidates from China, Russia, and Iran to rigorous background checks.

Whenever Aarhus University receives an application from one of these countries, it triggers a thorough investigation into the candidate’s background. The university examines their previous research collaborators, institutions, and research fields to assess any risk of exposure to foreign pressure or espionage attempts. The goal is to prevent sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

Brian Vinter, pro-dean of the technical faculty at Aarhus University, explained to DR that these rejections are not due to poor qualifications but because the candidates are deemed potential security risks. “They are rejected based on the possibility they could be pressured by their home countries to leak information,” he said.

A very cautious approach, that’s for sure, which may exclude skilled applicants — profiles the country is otherwise extremely interested in — but on the other hand, it seems necessary to protect Denmark’s interests and the university’s employees from foreign coercion.

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Aarhus University has hired five specialists fluent in Russian, Chinese, and Persian solely to evaluate applicants. According to the DR story, the university plans to expand security measures to include physical protection of facilities, new travel policies, and issuing specially secured devices to staff traveling to risk countries.

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