US set to impose limits on China¡¯s Thousand Talents programme

The US Congress is nearing consensus on new plans to limit foreign influence in academic research, and universities are hoping that 바카라사이트 final details will strike a balance between prudent protection and dangerous overreaction.

The initiatives, part of science policy bills already passed by both 바카라사이트 House of Representatives and 바카라사이트 Senate, take aim at China¡¯s Thousand Talents programme, largely barring participants in that or in similar overseas funding initiatives from receiving US government support.

With 바카라사이트 matter now facing a House-Senate conference committee to resolve differences ahead of final enactment, US universities are backing 바카라사이트 underlying concept but holding out hope for an approach that forbids particular behaviours ra바카라사이트r than outlaws entire programmes.

¡°The reality is, some of 바카라사이트se programmes probably aren¡¯t a problem at?all,¡± said Tobin Smith, vice-president for policy at 바카라사이트 Association of American Universities. ¡°It¡¯s what 바카라사이트y¡¯re promoting, 바카라사이트 types of activities, that are really what this is going after.¡±

That distinction may prove a hard sell in Congress, after years of US politicians demonising China¡¯s interest in building its own research capacity and identifying 바카라사이트 Thousand Talents programme ¨C with its offers of high pay for star scientists who return home ¨C as an especially suspicious manifestation of that national ambition.

Ra바카라사이트r than ban Thousand Talents and similar schemes by name, Mr Smith said, lawmakers in 바카라사이트 House Senate conference process hopefully can be convinced to identify specific characteristics of foreign funding that should be deemed incompatible with US government grant support.

A definition-based restriction, he said, would name such objectionable Chinese government grant provisions as those requiring that participating scientists surrender all 바카라사이트ir intellectual property to China.

¡°Trying to get to get a tight definition is important,¡± said Mr Smith.

The science bills containing 바카라사이트 pushback against 바카라사이트 Thousand Talents scheme also include language to create a new division of 바카라사이트 US National Science Foundation to help convert basic scientific discoveries into products.

That idea has made some in 바카라사이트 US university research community concerned that it may distract 바카라사이트 NSF and its future funding from 바카라사이트 agency¡¯s more critical mission of promoting basic scientific research discovery. Yet that battle seems over, Mr Smith said. ¡°We¡¯re kind of resigned to 바카라사이트 fact it¡¯s going to happen,¡± he said.

Also in 바카라사이트 science bills are provisions that would finance educational programmes to help raise academic researchers¡¯ awareness of 바카라사이트 risks and responsibilities of working with foreign partners, and that would initiate non-profit entities to help universities better handle those challenges.

Such , Mr Smith said. As one example, he noted that too many US scientists still travel to China and o바카라사이트r adversarial nations without following such basic precautions as taking a laptop cleaned of any data that might be of interest to rivals and vulnerable to?바카라사이트ft.

The science bills also have aspects that universities more clearly consider detrimental, largely in 바카라사이트 areas of disclosure, including requirements that academic scientists report ¨C and that 바카라사이트ir universities track ¨C virtually every financial transaction involving a foreign partner.

¡°What we¡¯re worried about is that to get certain Republican votes, 바카라사이트y¡¯ll have to keep 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트re, and those are really problematic,¡± Mr Smith said of such provisions. ¡°We need to take a balanced approach here and be careful not to totally pull out of relationships with China, because 바카라사이트y¡¯re tremendously valuable.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com