The Government, universities and funding bodies have a shared responsibility and interest in tackling the risks of academic interference. In October 2020, Universities UK published new security guidelines commissioned by the Government. The guidelines advise universities to utilise publicly available information to enhance understanding of prospective partners and identify any potential links to hostile activity. The guidelines also recommend that universities engage with in-house academics with relevant expertise to inform university decision-making and to provide information to staff. We judge that these are currently appropriate to manage the risks, however we will continue to keep our approach under review and work closely with universities and funding bodies on these measures.