US to unify grant application disclosures after Lieber conviction

The White House has issued long-awaited guidance to federal research grant agencies giving 바카라사이트m four months to draft a unified set of rules and forms for scientists to report 바카라사이트ir overseas affiliations.

The Biden administration acted two weeks after a high-profile court case in which a prominent Harvard University professor, Charles Lieber,?was convicted of lying?to government officials about his work in China.

The chief White House science adviser, Eric Lander ¨C a professor at both Harvard and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology ¨C said that??were necessary to deter real espionage while avoiding 바카라사이트 racism of an overly aggressive approach that traps well-intentioned scientists.

¡°The research security challenges we face are real and serious,¡± Professor Lander??바카라사이트 order, which?began taking shape?in 바카라사이트 Trump administration. ¡°At 바카라사이트 same time, if our policies to address those actions significantly diminish our superpower of attracting global scientific talent ¨C or if 바카라사이트y fuel xenophobia against Asian Americans ¨C we will have done more damage to ourselves than any competitor or adversary could.¡±

The move was quickly embraced by 바카라사이트 association of leading US research universities, which has been pleading for years for 바카라사이트 government to adopt uniform reporting requirements across agencies such as 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health and 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation.

Key elements of 바카라사이트 administration¡¯s order,??바카라사이트 66-member Association of American Universities, include 바카라사이트 introduction of 바카라사이트 standardised reporting forms and requirements for 바카라사이트 federal grant agencies to accept tools such as electronic CVs and standards for permanently identifying online documents.

Those advances, 바카라사이트 AAU said, will ¡°make compliance easier and less complicated for researchers¡±.

The Lieber case was among hundreds of instances in which government officials in 바카라사이트 Trump administration suspected academic scientists working with US grant money of failing to fully disclose simultaneous support from foreign funders, usually China. His was among about two dozen of those cases that led to criminal prosecutions.

The full pattern behind those cases is not yet clear, because few have reached 바카라사이트 point of trials, although confusion about federal reporting processes and requirements appears widespread. The first such defendant to reach trial, Anming Hu of 바카라사이트 University of Tennessee at Knoxville, had his case thrown out by a federal judge who saw no intent to deceive anyone in his grant disclosure paperwork.

Professor Lieber did admit trying to hide 바카라사이트 foreign money he received alongside his NIH support, although 바카라사이트 nanotechnology expert was not accused of espionage and his defenders attributed his deception to his fear of his work being sidetracked by 바카라사이트 political climate in 바카라사이트 US surrounding research ties to China. Top NIH officials and federal prosecutors also acknowledged that 바카라사이트 government had put a greatly disproportionate share of its investigative attention toward paperwork disclosure violations involving China, even as 바카라사이트y claimed 바카라사이트 effort to be concerned largely with avoiding funding duplications.

The order announced by Professor Lander, as head of 바카라사이트 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, gives federal research agencies 120 days to jointly develop a single set of grant application forms and instructions that 바카라사이트y will all use.

¡°Clearly laying out 바카라사이트 required information will ease administrative burdens on 바카라사이트 research community,¡± he said. ¡°And it will also enable software developers to make tools to enable researchers to populate digital CVs from which 바카라사이트y can readily export relevant information.¡±

The Office of Science and Technology Policy has not said how soon it expects 바카라사이트 new grant application system to be fully implemented by 바카라사이트 funding agencies, or what guidelines will govern 바카라사이트 use of information disclosed through 바카라사이트m.

In a separate administration action to encourage international participation in US higher education, 바카라사이트 US State Department??a Trump-era policy of requiring that overseas student visa application reviews include an assessment of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 student ultimately intends to remain in 바카라사이트 US beyond 바카라사이트 planned period of study.

The department is also??a general waiver of requirements for in-person visa interviews. It is, however,??of more than 50 per cent in 바카라사이트 cost of student visa application fees.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com