Wayne State University's Office of Research Integrity is tracking useful news articles to help our university community understand the federal regulatory environment surrounding foreign influence. Inclusion on this webpage does not indicate Wayne State's endorsement of views expressed in these articles and reports.

Sept. 30, 2022: NSF hopes big data will finger grantees not reporting foreign support - New CHIPS law mandates tougher enforcement of research security by U.S. agencies (Science)

The National Science Foundation will soon begin crunching several large databases to see whether there are scientists who failed to disclose ties to foreign institutions in their grant applications. It is a step being taken to comply with a new law that aims to boost U.S. technological innovation and prevent China and other foreign governments from pilfering federally funded research.

In recent years, lawmakers and others have faulted federal research agencies for failing to be more vigilant against potential security problems. The list includes situations in which grantees have accepted foreign funding that comes with restrictions on publication or that creates a "conflict of commitment" for a scientist employed by a U.S.-funded entity. China's aggressive recruiting of U.S. scientists, many of Chinese ancestry, has been a particular concern..

Feb. 13, 2020: Harvard, Yale Accused of Failing to Report Hundreds of Millions in Foreign Donations (NPR)

The U.S. Department of Education says it is opening an investigation into Yale and Harvard Universities for failing to disclose hundreds of millions of dollars in gifts and contracts from foreign donors. The two Ivy League schools have been singled out in a federal crackdown on institutions of higher learning for allegedly not reporting foreign donations of more than $250,000, as required by law under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act.

Feb. 12, 2020: Opinion: Disclosures Scientists Must Make of Foreign Ties (The Scientist)

Recent criminal cases against scientists at the University of Kansas, Harvard University, and Emory University who allegedly did not follow the rules for the disclosure of relationships with foreign entities have prompted an important examination within the scientific community to ensure researchers are abiding by the law. While federal agencies claim that the rules for disclosing such ties are "not new, but rather a long-standing requirement," many academic groups, including the Counsel on Governmental Relations, argue that agency enforcement and interpretation of those rules have changed dramatically since 2018.

Feb. 7, 2020: U.S. attorneys warn of upcoming 'spike' in prosecutions related to China ties (Science)

Researchers in academia and industry who work with Chinese institutions should expect a "spike" in prosecutions this year as a result of a U.S. government initiative to stop economic espionage, say federal prosecutors leading the effort. And although they say the criminal cases could harm potentially useful U.S. collaborations with China, the prosecutors believe they will help deter future problems.