The Pentagon directed a group of 30 American universities and colleges on Monday to conduct audits of its financial and research relationships with foreign entities or risk losing their federal funding. 

The schools, which include New York University, Harvard and Georgetown University, must review identified foreign collaborations and assess any exposure of "sensitive or export-controlled research," according to Fox News. 

The targeted schools must also implement plans to mitigate actions that violate national security protocol and even terminate relationships with foreign institutions if necessary.

"The Department of War has zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security," Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, told the outlet. "Institutions that receive funding from American taxpayers must uphold the highest standards of research security, and these mandated audits will ensure accountability across the board."

The audits target foreign entities from the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which identifies 130 academic and research institutions located in China, Russia and Iran, that engage in "activities that increase the likelihood of U.S. government-funded research and development efforts being misappropriated."

Other American institutions on the list include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, San Diego, University of Texas at Austin, Emory University, Oklahoma State University, Penn State University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, University of Southern California, Cornell University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University and Northeastern State University.

The universities are required to report their findings to the War Department by Aug. 31.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.