Luxembourg’s higher education sector is modest in scale but closely integrated into the broader European academic landscape. Anchored by the University of Luxembourg, the country’s sole public university, it emphasizes research priorities aligned with EU agendas, such as sustainability, digital transformation, and health. However, while its international cooperation is primarily European, Luxembourg also maintains limited academic ties with Chinese institutions and hosts a Confucius Institute. This report examines the nature, scope, and potential risks of these engagements.
Luxembourg’s higher education system comprises a single public research and higher education institution: the University of Luxembourg. Other schools, such as Lunex or the Luxembourg School of Business, also deliver recognized national diplomas. The University of Luxembourg receives a multi-year endowment from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. For the 2022–2025 period, its research priorities, co-defined with the education ministry, are sustainable development, health and medicine, and digital transformation.
Luxembourg does not have a publicly available document detailing the procedure for cooperation agreements to be signed by either the university or the education ministry. Some cooperation agreements are announced in Luxembourg’s official bulletin, suggesting this may be part of the formal approval process for international partnerships. However, the research team found no mention of cooperation agreements with China in the bulletin, either because such documents have been removed or were never published. This lends credibility to the idea that the approval procedure may vary.
To gather information on Luxembourg’s scientific cooperation in higher education, we used two methods: open-source intelligence (OSINT) and formal email requests sent to the relevant institutions. While university websites often include information about international academic partnerships, accessing the actual cooperation agreements or contracts is difficult. Institutions and departments contacted for further details did not respond to our bilateral requests.
The Confucius Institute at the University of Luxembourg was established through a tripartite partnership between the University of Luxembourg, Fudan University in Shanghai, and the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, a nonprofit affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education. The Confucius Institute is primarily funded by the Chinese side: in 2023, Fudan University contributed €123,000. The University of Luxembourg provides in-kind support in the form of classrooms and office space and pays the salaries of the Institute’s director and assistant.
The Confucius Institute offers Chinese language courses (HSK levels 1–4) to both university students and the broader public. Although the Institute is not listed on the website of the university’s language department, a dedicated section on the Confucius Institute’s own site outlines enrollment procedures and how credits apply for university students. It also hosts conferences with Chinese academics on diverse topics, ranging from artificial intelligence and cancer research to Chinese culture and philosophy.
The Confucius Institute’s presence has prompted parliamentary questions about its influence on academic freedom. The Minister of Education, Claude Meisch, stated that “there had not been any attempts at influencing the university” by the Confucius Institute. Nevertheless, it remains the sole provider of Chinese language instruction at the University, suggesting a central role in the curriculum.
Luxembourg’s higher education institutions currently maintain thirteen scientific and student exchange partnerships with Chinese universities. According to ASPI criteria, two of these partnerships are with “very high risk” institutions and four with “high risk” ones. Of the two very high-risk partnerships, one is in physical education and does not appear to pose a significant threat to the integrity of Luxembourg’s research ecosystem. The other does not specify a field. Among the four high-risk partnerships, three involve sensitive STEM areas such as artificial intelligence and advanced materials. It is unclear whether these agreements are currently active.
A 2022 newspaper article raised concerns about these partnerships. The University of Luxembourg responded by noting that most agreements were focused on undergraduate student exchanges rather than advanced research collaboration in sensitive fields. The University also argued that formalized agreements help clearly define the scope of cooperation and establish mutual accountability. Overall, the University maintains a strongly European orientation, reinforced by its participation in the Erasmus program, proximity to EU institutions, and preferential agreements with French-speaking neighbors France and Belgium. These factors help explain China’s relatively minor role in Luxembourg’s academic landscape. While partnerships with China warrant continued scrutiny, their limited number and scope, along with the University’s apparent awareness of associated risks, are reassuring signs for the integrity of Luxembourg’s research environment.
Luxembourg lies at the heart of Europe, and its higher education institutions maintain a strong European focus. Nevertheless, the country hosts a Confucius Institute and has signed a dozen cooperation agreements with Chinese institutions. The University of Luxembourg could take additional steps to safeguard academic freedom, especially in relation to the Confucius Institute, by reinforcing transparency and institutional autonomy. It could also explore alternative providers of Chinese language instruction, either by directly hiring instructors or outsourcing to institutions unaffiliated with the Chinese government. Existing cooperation agreements with Chinese universities, particularly those in sensitive sectors, should be closely monitored, as should any future partnerships. For now, however, these agreements appear to pose limited risk to Luxembourg’s scientific and technological capacities.
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