Overview
- In February 2025 the university ordered Professor Laura Murphy to stop China-focused work and took down the Forced Labour Lab site, then in October lifted the restrictions and issued an apology after legal threats over academic freedom.
- Leaders said the pause stemmed from staff safety risks and the loss of professional indemnity cover following a defamation suit by a Chinese company, a case that remains active.
- Internal records describe a 2024 visit by three Chinese state security officers to the university’s Beijing office with a warning to cease the research, after which staff reported improved relations when they indicated a report would not be published.
- The university dropped a planned study on critical-minerals supply chains linked to Uyghur forced labour and returned grant funds to Global Rights Compliance, which later published the work in June 2025.
- Sheffield Hallam denies commercial motives despite internal emails about recruitment losses after Chinese blocks and attacks, as the Office for Students calls suppression of research unacceptable and the UK government warns Beijing against intimidation under national security laws.