Texas A&M University, one of the Lone Star State’s premier taxpayer-funded institutions of higher education, has long prided itself on advancing engineering, research, and education with a focus on serving Texas and the nation. Yet its two-decade partnership with Qatar, including through the establishment of a branch campus in Doha, Qatar, has sparked growing unease.1 Established in 2003, Texas A&M at Qatar was funded by the Qatar Foundation, a government-linked entity, raising serious suspicions about hidden strings attached to the arrangement.
The Funding
While the partnership has been touted as a success, alarms are sounding that it is likely compromising American interests, potentially exposing sensitive research, and offering dubious returns for Texas taxpayers.
At the heart of the concern lies the funding. Qatar has injected substantial sums into Texas A&M, with reports2 indicating over $890 million in contributions, including an annual operating payment of more than $76 million.3 Some estimates push the total beyond $1 billion, much of it allegedly unreported or unregulated under U.S. disclosure requirements. This influx of foreign cash into a public Texas university raises eyebrows and demands rigorous scrutiny. Although official statements insist no Texas taxpayer dollars directly supported the Qatar campus, claiming all expenses, including faculty salaries and operations, were covered by Qatari funds, the partnership appears to blur lines.
As a state-supported institution, Texas A&M’s resources, reputation, and oversight mechanisms are inherently tied to Texas taxpayer investments. If undisclosed deals allowed Qatar to gain leverage over research, intellectual property, curriculum, or guiding principles, it could indirectly burden Texans through diluted university focus or reputational damage.
Sounding the Alarm
More alarmingly, the partnership has been linked to national security risks. A report4 from the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) revealed that Qatar allegedly secured full ownership5 of over 500 research projects at Texas A&M in exchange for its funding. These projects spanned sensitive areas like nuclear science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biotechnology, robotics, and weapons development, all of which are fields with clear dual-use potential for military applications. This setup possibly gave Qatar, a nation with documented ties to groups6 like Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, undue access7 to American technological advancements. Qatar’s hosting of Hamas leaders and its reported support for Islamist networks abroad amplify these worries. The ISGAP findings suggested Qatar’s control8 extended to academic standards, faculty, students, budgets, and even curriculum.
Particularly concerning is the lack of transparency in these dealings, including over $100 million in unreported funds funneled to the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, which skirted federal disclosure laws and invited foreign meddling into a public institution meant to prioritize state and national priorities. The recent suspension9 of operations at the Qatar campus in June 2025, prompted by a U.S. Embassy alert amid a missile attack from Iran on a nearby American base, underscores the volatile environment and the risks of such partnerships, where Qatar’s alliances could drag Texas A&M, and by extension, Texas taxpayers, into international conflicts.
The Response
Texas A&M officials have pushed back,10 labeling the ISGAP report as “misinformation” and asserting that no nuclear engineering or weapons-related research occurred at the Qatar campus. They emphasized compliance with federal export controls and research regulations.
However, such denials do little to quell suspicions when contracts reportedly granted Qatar intellectual property rights over projects conducted under the partnership. The arrangement appears lopsided: Qatar benefited from elite engineering education and research tailored to its industries, while Texas saw minimal direct gains. The campus primarily served Qatari and international students, with few Texans participating, and any economic benefit pales against the risks of foreign influence eroding the university’s core mission to educate and equip Texans.
The decision11 to shutter the Qatar campus by 2028, announced in February 2024, marks a belated acknowledgment of these issues. The Board of Regents cited regional instability and a reassessment of global engagements, but the four-year wind-down period invites further skepticism. Why prolong exposure if risks12 are real? This program at A&M underscores the risks of taxpayer-funded universities chasing foreign money. It drains focus from domestic priorities, like affordable education and job creation in Texas, and invites undue influence from regimes whose values often diverge from America’s.
Taxpayers should demand full transparency on all foreign partnerships, ensuring they align with principles of fiscal responsibility, national security, and unwavering support for Texas’ interests. Without such vigilance, public institutions risk becoming conduits for foreign agendas, ultimately at the expense of the Texas taxpayers and families they are intended to serve.
Sources:
- https://www.texaspolicy.com/qatar-friend-or-foe/
- https://www.openthebooks.com/cbs-austin-foreign-aid-to-texas-universities/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/03/08/texas-university-gets-76-million-each-year-to-operate-in-qatar-contract-says/
- https://www.meforum.org/texas-a-m-potentially-compromised-us-nuclear
- https://texasscorecard.com/state/report-texas-ams-partnership-with-qatar-threatens-national-security/
- https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/12/26/will-trump-force-qatar-to-finally-take-sides-00195943
- https://isgap.org/post/2024/01/for-immediate-release-researchers-warn-u-s-national-security-officials-of-secret-deal-giving-qatar-covert-control-over-nuclear-weapons-development-research-at-texas-am/
- https://texasscorecard.com/state/final-texas-am-qatar-contract-confirms-qatar-foundation-directed-research/
- https://www.kxxv.com/news/texas-news/texas-a-m-qatar-suspends-operations-due-to-security-concerns
- https://president.tamu.edu/messages/correcting-misinformation-about-our-university.html
- https://news.tamus.edu/texas-am-qatar-campus-to-close-by-2028/
- https://www.thefp.com/p/texas-a-and-m-qatar-deal-iran-u-s-secrets
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