A NYT article reported on the Trump Administration and NIH’s concern over “foreign influences on research integrity.” AAMC Chief Scientific Officer Ross McKinney, MD, discussed the effects caused by NIH-funded researchers also running undisclosed labs in China, “Those scientists could have a competitive advantage over other people applying for NIH funds because they had two labs doing the work of one. In addition, they could claim that the discoveries occurred in China, even if they were really a result of research originally performed in the US, and the Chinese lab could keep the ideas as trade secrets for further development.” Bloomberg Law explained that Senator Grassley (R-Iowa) has expressed worry to NIH over these foreign threats and the amount of NIH’s budget being spent to identify and investigate potential violations, and Inside Higher Ed discusses the closing of Confucius Institutes in American universities in response to political pressure.
NIH’s response to Senator Grassley:https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/fr01-wf-376670-final-responsesigned0. And for additional background information, see https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-seeks-more-information-foreign-threats-us-research-institutions.