Foreign Influence
The U.S. Government and federal sponsors, such as NIH and NSF, have expressed concerns about improper foreign influence in U.S. academic research. NIH Director, Francis Collins, sent a alerting the research community to 鈥渢hreats鈥� from foreign entities. NSF Director, France Cordova, sent a and the includes a provision alluding to the restriction of federal funding to institutions doing business with certain Chinese telecommunication companies. Other federal sponsors are also calling for transparency regarding foreign influence. The DOD has expressed concerns and issued a in 2019 that calls upon the academic community to develop and implement best practices to protect American innovation while maintaining the free and open exchange of ideas.
Other areas of concern revolve around the active recruitment of foreign scholars into 鈥榝oreign talent programs,鈥� and this issue has been discussed at length by the U.S. Government and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Foreign talent programs, many times run by governments overseas, typically recruit scholars in an attempt to influence foreign nationals to misappropriate intellectual property and federally funded research results from the U.S. research institution. One of China鈥檚 top foreign talent recruitment program is China鈥檚 鈥淭housand Talents Plan.鈥�
Based on the concerns of the U.S. Government and our sponsors, U.S. institutions have a heightened awareness and interest in understanding the relationships federally-funded faculty may have with a foreign government or entity. To ensure compliance with federal regulations, any/all foreign involvement, whether paid or unpaid, must be disclosed to federal sponsors, following their regulations, and through Downstate鈥檚 conflict of interest disclosures.
Please note that Visiting Scholars, Volunteers and/or Students are considered in-kind contributions if they are working on your research project and must be disclosed.
Remuneration is not a factor when it comes to Foreign Influence.
Please review the federal policies below and ensure your submission follows the regulations governing foreign influence.
NIH Instructions and Guidance
A memo from NIH Director, Francis Collins:
: Reminder to investigators about the need to report foreign and domestic activities relevant to their sponsored research through documentation of other support, foreign components and adherence to financial conflict of interest reporting. NIH requires this information to prevent scientific, budgetary or overlap of commitment to ensure proper oversight of financial conflicts of interest before NIH funds are spent. Also see Downstate鈥檚 FCOI policy.
NIH Biosketch Instructions:
Competitive Application: Refer to Section B of the
RPPR: Refer to pages 84 and 86 of the
During the life of the project (between the issuance of a NOA and the next RPPR): No action unless a change of PI and/or other senior key personnel identified in the NOA
Other Support Instructions:
Competitive Application: Refer to the Just-in-Time Procedures in the
RPPR: Refer to page 86, Section D.2.c. 鈥楥hanges in Other Support鈥� in the
Foreign Component (work to be performed outside of the U.S.)
Competitive Application: Refer to page R-39, Q6 in the
RPPR: See page 99, G.9, Foreign Component in the
During the life of the project (between the issuance of a NOA and the next RPPR): Prior approval is required to ADD a foreign component, Refer to 8.2.1.10, 鈥楢dd Foreign Component鈥� in the . Prior approval is required to change a performance site within a foreign country or to add a performance site in a new country. Refer to Section 16.7.2, 鈥楥hange in Scope鈥� in the
NSF Instructions and Guidance
A memo from NSF Director, France Cordova, July 2019;
NSF Biosketch Instructions:
Competitive Applications: Refer to Section F 鈥楤iosketch鈥� in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedure Guide (NSF PAPPG) and Section H 鈥楥urrent and Pending Support,鈥� and Section I 鈥楩acilities, Equipment and Other Resources.鈥�
RPPR: Refer to
DOD Guidance
A memo from Michael Griffin, March 2019:
Letter from Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to the DOD:
, 2019
DOE Guidance
DOE Order No. O 486-1:
In the Press
(Bloomberg Law); December, 2019
A settlement over undisclosed Chinese payments to NIH-funded scientists indicates U.S. authorities are willing to use the muscle of the False Claims Act to clamp down on foreign threats to taxpayer-funded innovation.
(Science); December, 2019
Two panels have been created by Congress to address this topic.
(Crains); December 2020
The Van Andel Research Institute was accused of failing to disclose Chinese government grants to two of its researchers and have reached a $5.5 million settlement, the Justice Department announced.
(Tampa Bay Times); December, 2020
Feds say they are just beginning to understand the scope of foreign involvement in U.S. based research, at Tampa鈥檚 Moffitt Cancer Center and beyond.
(The Guardian); December, 2019
China has ordered all foreign computer equipment and software be removed from government offices and public institutions within three years, the Financial Times reports.
(The Christian Science Monitor); November, 2019
Although the Trump administration has emphasized that Chinese students enrich U.S. universities, the trade war and other tensions may trickle down to campuses.
(The Wall Street Journal); November 2019
National security officials say universities are at the leading edge of a plan by Beijing to illicitly gain scientific expertise.
(Inside Higher Ed); November 2019
At a gathering of university research officers, federal agency officials document foreign governments' efforts to persuade scientists to engage in academic espionage.
(Inside Higher Ed); November 2019
Without collaboration from co-authors from China, the number of scholarly articles published by American academics in science and engineering fields would have declined by 2.03 percent between 2014 and 2018.
(New York Times); October, 2019
The Trump administration is divided over how aggressively to restrict China鈥檚 access to United States technology as it looks for ways to protect national security without undercutting American industry.
(Associated Press); October 2019
The FBI inspects how universities are taking steps to protect research and monitor suspicious behavior.
(Science); October, 2019
NIH has concluded that the Chinese government uses talent recruitment programs to obtain confidential NIH grant applications and to establish so-called shadow labs in China, where NIH-funded research can be replicated.
(STAT News); September 2019
The National Institutes of Health should do more to ensure that investigators and grant reviewers aren't susceptible to foreign influence, according to a trio of reports from the Health and Human Services inspector general.
(Chicago Tribune); September, 2019
Federal authorities allege that an international student from Illinois Institute of Technology was secretly working for a Chinese spy agency.
(Senate Committee on Finance); September, 2019
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent to the presidents of some universities seeking information on the current culture of academic freedom on their campuses. In addition, he expressed his concerns in an published in the Wall Street Journal.
(Chemical & Engineering News); September 2019
Scientists worry security concerns will taint valuable research collaborations.
(Science); September, 2019
Openness, intellectual freedom, and international collaboration are traditional hallmarks of university science in the United States. Recently, federal funding and law enforcement agencies鈥攁s well as universities themselves鈥攈ave been taking steps to protect U.S. research and technology from foreign threats.
(The Chronicle); September 2019
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to collect social-media handles of travelers, including students, to the United States. In a notice of a proposed rule published in the Federal Register, the department says such information is needed to validate applicants鈥� identity and to determine whether they pose a law-enforcement or national-security risk.
(South China Morning Post); September 2019
A letter to Trump administration officials address campaign that has targeted Chinese scientists in the U.S. The organizations acknowledge national security concerns but seek a 鈥榖alanced approach that enables continued scientific collaborations.鈥�
(CNBC); September 2019
U.S. prosecutors have charged a Chinese professor with fraud for allegedly taking technology from a California company to benefit an unidentified Chinese telecommunications conglomerate, which sources say is Huawei.
(Inside Higher Ed); September 2019
Over 60 science, engineering and education organizations sent a letter to U.S. science agencies requesting that they consider scientific enterprise when dealing with national security concerns.
(Office of the Federal Register); September 2019
(Forbes); September 2019
Are biotech companies really that frightened of China? And if China feels its investments in the sector are threatened by Washington, could they retaliate by making it even harder for American firms to do business there?
(NY Times); August, 2019
The Education Department has begun cracking down on universities that fail to disclose donations and contracts from foreign governments, hoping to give far more scrutiny to funding that has washed into the United States鈥� higher education institutions from countries often at odds with American policies but eager to tap the country鈥檚 brightest minds.
(AZ Central); August, 2019
Nine Chinese students who were returning to the U.S. to continue their studies were detained by Customs and Border Protection officials and sent back to China.
(NY Times); August, 2019
Western intelligence officials say Chinese agents are contacting thousands of foreign citizens using LinkedIn, including former government officials.
(Reuters), August, 2019
The U.S. Department of Commerce has received more than 130 applications from companies for licenses to sell U.S. goods to China鈥檚 Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, three sources said, nearly two months after President Donald Trump said some sales would be allowed.
(Inside Higher Ed); August, 2019
Kansas professor faces federal fraud charges for allegedly failing to disclose a full-time appointment at a Chinese university held while receiving government research grants. The indictment comes amid rising tension over Chinese scholars and security.