The University of Delaware has agreed to pay more than $700,000 to resolve claims that it failed to disclose a professor’s “affiliations with and support from” the Chinese government when seeking federal funds for research, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The settlement announced Monday ties to a NASA grant issued back in 2020.
NASA is prohibited from using funds to collaborate with China or any Chinese-owned companies, said David Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, in a press release. This settlement “resolves” claims that UD caused the administration to violate federal law by not disclosing such connections.
There has been no determination of liability, per the federal justice department.
This just settles claims that one of the principal investigators on the grant was affiliated with China, according to the announcement, through employment at a Chinese university, participation in a program established by the Chinese government to recruit individuals with knowledge or access to foreign technology intellectual property and a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
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“Federal law requires universities, institutions and researchers to make disclosures, including certain foreign affiliations, when applying for grants so that the granting agencies can assess whether to fund their research and development,” Weiss said in a statement. “My office will hold accountable applicants who undermine the integrity of the federal grant process by knowingly failing to submit complete and truthful applications.”
NASA’s Adelle Harris said the administration remains dedicated to “aggressively pursuing” anyone who would conceal foreign connections or “undermine the integrity of our academic system to obtain research funding.”
The settlement was a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware and NASA’s Office of Inspector General.
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