Van Andel Research Institute to pay US$5.5 million for not disclosing Chinese grants
- Case is part of broader crackdown on unreported foreign funding to US-based academics and researchers
- Institute acted with ‘deliberate ignorance or reckless disregard’ by applying for government grants without acknowledging receipt of funds from China
A Michigan research institute accused of failing to disclose Chinese government grants to two of its researchers has reached a US$5.5 million settlement, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Federal officials said the Van Andel Research Institute acted with “deliberate ignorance or reckless disregard” when it applied to the US government for grants on the scientists’ behalf without also acknowledging that the researchers had been receiving funding from China.
The civil case is part of a broader crackdown by the Justice Department and other agencies on unreported foreign funding – especially from China – to researchers at American universities and institutions.
US authorities have also been warning the schools about Chinese government efforts to pilfer research and other cutting-edge technology.
The Justice Department says institutions that apply for funding from the National Institutes of Health, but fail to disclose foreign government grants, violate federal rules that require them to reveal when research will be or has already been performed outside the United States.