Corporate sponsorship from companies such as Huawei provides much of the rest． The amount of money we allocate for research at US universities is relatively modest — approximately $10m last year． But it provides needed support in the form of funding， facilities， and laboratory equipment． Our collaboration with universities gives college and postgraduate students the chance to receive training and hands-on experience． We provide this support with no expectation of direct commercial return．

Contrary to what our critics allege， the fruits of this research constitute a public good rather than a threat to America．

The findings made possible through our university partnerships are published and disseminated worldwide through dissertations and papers by professors， PhDs， and postgraduate students．

Like other corporate supporters of university research — including US businesses that support Chinese universities — Huawei does not gain exclusive ownership of， or access to， the findings of the research we support and we do not dictate what is published．

Science is borderless， and we hope that the results of our partnerships will reach as many people as possible．

Like any technology company， Huawei benefits from the general advancement of science and technology worldwide． Ultimately， however， our ability to provide competitive products is a result of our own long-term investment in R&D．

Last year， Huawei invested $13.8 billion in research and development globally， bringing our total investment over the past decade to more than $60 billion． Huawei has been granted nearly 80，000 patents worldwide， including 10，000 patents in the US． Many of these are essential patents vital to the telecommunications industry． As such， they represent our modest contribution to the development of the digital economy．

Before any basic research can deliver tangible benefits to society， universities and businesses must set off together on a long and sometimes arduous journey． This requires unstinting work by countless scientists and engineers． Such people deserve respect， not groundless accusations from sceptical politicians， for their efforts．

Open-minded political leaders should work to ensure that US universities continue to enjoy the academic freedom that drives American progress in science and technology． Ideally， they will bring to that task the same depth of understanding， curiosity， and spirit of fact-finding inquiry displayed by the world’s leading scientists．

The writer currently holds the rotating chairmanship of Huawei．

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