The University of Cambridge has a long history of engagement with China that brings together researchers from disparate fields in order to foster interdisciplinary work focused on many of the greatest challenges facing the world.
This page outlines the income the University has received from China in the form of research grants and philanthropic funding over the last five years. It also gives the latest figures on the number of Chinese students. This page does not include data from Cambridge Colleges, which are independent organisations.
Due diligence process
The University scrutinizes research funding and donations for compatibility with our mission and alignment with our values.
In October 2021, the University announced a revised set of principles to manage risks in international engagement. In any international partnership the University will at all times:
- Protect our people in their international engagement.
- Defend academic freedom.
- Promote and support an academic culture of vigilance and awareness of these risks, and ensure that people are equipped to know how to minimise or mitigate them.
- Protect the open flow of ideas, data and other forms of intellectual property – including a duty to protect it against wrongful exploitation or interference.
- Safeguard the University’s funding autonomy – including a duty to ensure the diversity and transparency of our funding sources.
Research grant income (expenditure) for the University of Cambridge
| Financial Year | Grand Total |
|---|---|
| FY2020-21 | £586,000,000 |
| FY2021-22 | £567,000,000 |
| FY2022-23 | £587,000,000 |
| FY2023-24 | £615,000,000 |
| FY2024-25 | £631,000,000 |
| Grand Total | £2,986,000,000 |
| Financial Year | Total University research grant income from mainland China and Hong Kong SAR |
|---|---|
| FY2020-21 | £6,100,000 |
| FY2021-22 | £5,700,000 |
| FY2022-23 | £5,500,000 |
| FY2023-24 | £3,400,000 |
| FY2024-25 | £2,500,000 |
| Grand Total | £23,200,000 |
Notes: The total research grant income from mainland China and Hong Kong in Table 2 also includes income from Huawei subsidiaries located outside China.
Philanthropic income
New philanthropic funds raised.
| Financial Year | New philanthropic funds raised |
|---|---|
| FY2020-21 | £101,267,602 |
| FY2021-22 | £165,857,105 |
| FY2022-23 | £181,782,454 |
| FY2023-24 | £212,248,802 |
| FY2024-25 | £122,421,867 |
| Financial Year | China | Hong Kong |
|---|---|---|
| FY2020-21 | £2,172,837 | £823,003 |
| FY2021-22 | £667,057 | £233,548 |
| FY2022-23 | £100,217 | £194,585 |
| FY2023-24 | £1,053,565 | £22,029,856 |
| FY2024-25 | £1,006,675 | £5,492,400 |
Chinese students
We welcome students from across the world to Cambridge, all of whom make a significant contribution to the Cambridge community. In 2024/25 we had more than 2,900 Chinese nationals studying in Cambridge, which represents approximately 12% of our student body.
Strategic activities with China
Below is a list of the main, strategic activities with China in the last 12 months.
Cambridge University Nanjing Centre of Technology and Innovation
Cambridge University Nanjing Centre of Technology and Innovation hosts research collaborations between the University of Cambridge and universities in Eastern China. Founded in 2018 in the historic city of Nanjing, the Centre's purpose-built research facilities are home to a diverse range of applied research projects.
Tsinghua – Cambridge Joint Research Initiative Fund
The Tsinghua - Cambridge Joint Research Initiative Fund was established in 2019 to strengthen research collaboration between academics from both institutions to address global challenges. To date, it has supported over 30 joint research projects across multiple disciplines.
Global Humanities
Global Humanities is an initiative led by School of Arts and Humanities, which seeks to advance the Humanities as a common enterprise, incorporating traditional and new ways of scholarship and developing novel ways of teaching and researching. It is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and universities in Africa, China, India, the Middle East and Latin America. Two Chinese universities participate in the collaboration – Fudan University and Nanjing University.
Collaboration with AstraZeneca and Beijing municipal parties to accelerate innovations in healthcare
In 2025 Cambridge signed an agreement with AstraZeneca, the Beijing Science and Technology Commission and the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area to enhance collaboration between the University, AstraZeneca and Cambridge and Beijing’s life sciences ecosystems. The programme will include reciprocal visits and training on medical leadership, research commercialisation and spinout creation.