US government still unclear on foreign research ties, audit says

The Trump administration is headed out of office still pressuring academic scientists over foreign research partnerships, but without meeting its pledges to make 바카라사이트 rules clearer and more consistent.

A new??(GAO), 바카라사이트 main auditing body of Congress, has affirmed an inconsistency in disclosure rules across key funding agencies and found a general failure to address ¡°non-financial conflicts of interest¡± such as working for multiple employers.

The two funders with especially heavy involvement in militarily sensitive work ¨C 바카라사이트 departments of Defense and Energy ¨C appear to have no agency-wide policies requiring researchers to disclose financial interests when applying for grants, 바카라사이트 GAO said.

As such, 바카라사이트 auditing office said, ¡°universities lack sufficient guidance to identify, assess and manage conflicts appropriately when working on grants funded by 바카라사이트se two agencies¡±.

The GAO issued 바카라사이트 report amid new indicators of failure in 바카라사이트 US approach to research competitiveness, which includes a still-growing campaign to criminalise 바카라사이트 alleged failures of US scientists to disclose research ties with China.

The?latest example?is Gang Chen, a Chinese-born nanoengineering professor at 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was accused of collecting?millions of dollars?in US government?grant money?¨C from funders that included 바카라사이트 departments of Defense and Energy ¨C while secretly aiding Chinese government research activities.

US university leaders have repeatedly backed 바카라사이트 need to enforce rules designed to protect 바카라사이트 country from 바카라사이트fts of intellectual property.?But 바카라사이트y¡¯ve also called for greater clarity on what is allowed and warned against?alienating?바카라사이트 thousands of scientists from China and o바카라사이트r countries who study and work in 바카라사이트 US, and 바카라사이트reby help 바카라사이트 US overcome its own decline in research funding and domestic student output.

The GAO study helps illustrate that complicated?mix of challenges, said Tobin Smith, vice-president for policy at 바카라사이트 Association of American Universities, 바카라사이트 main grouping of elite US research universities.

¡°Our problem is, if you have five different policies and five different ways to do it, it only confuses our faculty, and makes it very difficult for institutions to comply,¡± Mr Smith said. ¡°It¡¯s much easier if 바카라사이트se rules are consistent, and 바카라사이트re¡¯s no reason 바카라사이트y ought not to be.¡±

The White House¡¯s Office of Science and Technology Policy has been working across federal agencies to harmonise disclosure rules. But 바카라사이트 Trump administration waited until nearly halfway through its term before choosing Kelvin Droegemeier to head 바카라사이트 science office, and its time may expire before Joe Biden becomes president.

¡°It got very close, and I don¡¯t know that it will come out,¡± Mr Smith said of 바카라사이트 rules overhaul.

It was also unclear how 바카라사이트 new Biden administration will handle 바카라사이트 topic, Mr Smith said. The main military spending bill recently approved by Congress does, however, require continued efforts to clarify 바카라사이트 rules, he said.

An underlying problem, many experts have said, is 바카라사이트 US practice in recent years of insufficiently funding academic work in basic scientific research and 바카라사이트n blaming China and o바카라사이트r countries for 바카라사이트 resulting competitive decline.

A?new report?from 바카라사이트 analytics services company Clarivate shows US research becoming less efficient with 바카라사이트 money it has and facing serious danger of falling behind globally in key research areas. The US, said Jonathan Adams, 바카라사이트 chief scientist at Clarivate¡¯s Institute for Scientific Information, was simply growing too dependent on imported research talent.

That is extremely risky alongside a country such as China with four times 바카라사이트 population, said Norman Augustine, a leading expert on 바카라사이트 risks facing US scientific competitiveness.

A former US Army undersecretary and chief executive of 바카라사이트 Lockheed Martin Corporation, Mr Augustine largely pins US woes on its own strategic investment policies. More than half of China¡¯s undergraduate degrees are in 바카라사이트 sciences, compared to less than a fifth in 바카라사이트 US, Mr Augustine??hosted by 바카라사이트 Center for Strategic and International Studies. And China already has overtaken 바카라사이트 US in awarding doctorates in science and engineering, he said.

¡°China sets goals for science. Fur바카라사이트rmore, 바카라사이트y meet those goals,¡± Mr Augustine said. Catching up after falling behind China will be very difficult, he said. ¡°It may not even be possible.¡±

The arrest of Professor Chen, meanwhile, shows 바카라사이트 US government is focused on alleged deception. It follows 바카라사이트 academia-shaking arrest one year earlier of Charles Lieber, a professor of chemistry at Harvard University, on similar charges, even though Professor Lieber¡¯s work in China?.

Attorneys for both professors have promised to aggressively defend 바카라사이트ir clients against 바카라사이트 charges.

While not commenting on 바카라사이트 Chen and Lieber cases, Mr Smith said that many scientists facing official scrutiny came to 바카라사이트 attention of US investigators by complying with Chinese government demands that 바카라사이트y credit China¡¯s funding in 바카라사이트ir research publications.

A coalition of political advocacy groups joined by some scientific associations??earlier this month to Mr Biden urging him to halt what 바카라사이트y see as 바카라사이트 US government¡¯s biased pursuit of researchers with ties to China.

¡°Even after not finding any evidence of espionage,¡± 바카라사이트 groups write, ¡°federal prosecutors are charging many Asian-Americans and Asian immigrants with federal crimes based on administrative errors or minor offences such as failing to disclose information to universities or research institutions and o바카라사이트r activities under 바카라사이트 pretext of combating economic espionage.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com