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A24 technology
Tuesday 19 November 2019
U.S. failing to stop China from stealing research, report says

By ERIC TUCKER research files before return- cies that distribute research ed research at colleges The report says the Energy
Associated Press ing to China, filed patents grants stop funding par- and universities — has tak- Department clarified only
WASHINGTON (AP) — The based on U.S. research, ticipants in them absent full en insufficient steps to vet this year that employees
United States government and contractors are pro-
has failed to stop China hibited from participating
from stealing intellectual in foreign talent recruit-
property from American ment programs, and that
universities and lacks a the State Department does
comprehensive strategy for not systematically track
dealing with the threat, a visa applicants linked to
congressional report con- China’s recruitment pro-
cluded Monday. grams even though some
The report says the FBI applicants have stolen re-
should be more effective search in the past.
and consistent in warn- In addition, the report says
ing universities about the the FBI “has yet to develop
threat of Chinese econom- an effective, nationwide
ic and industrial espionage strategy to warn universi-
at colleges and universities. ties, government laborato-
It also asserts agencies that ries, and the broader public
award research grants or of the risks of foreign talent
provide visas for scientists recruitment plans.” It says
don’t do enough to moni- FBI headquarters did not
tor or track the recipients, take centralized control of
and that universities them- the bureau’s response until
selves must do a better job the middle of last year, and
identifying foreign funding that the FBI itself was slow to
sources and conflicts of in- recognize the threat from
terest among the scientists talent recruitment plans.
on their campuses. The Associated Press last
The problem is especially month, relying on hundreds
urgent, says the report from of pages of documents
the Senate’s Permanent obtained through public
Subcommittee on Investi- records requests, report-
gations, because billions of ed that the FBI has been
dollars in taxpayer-funded reaching out to colleges
research have “contrib- and universities across the
uted to China’s global rise countries to warn them of
over the last 20 years” and the threat. But the report
to its goal of being a world says universities are mixed
leader in science and tech- in their response. In one
nology by 2050. In this Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019 file photo, a man holds the new Huawei Mate X foldable 5G case, according to the
“As American policy mak- smartphone during the Mobile World Congress wireless show, in Barcelona, Spain. report, the FBI provided a
ers navigate an increasing- Associated Press school with a list of suspect-
ly complicated relationship ed participants in the Thou-
with China, it is not in our lied on grant applications disclosure of the terms and grantees and avoid misap- sand Talents Plan but did
national security interest or failed to disclose money conditions of membership. propriation of their funds. not say what to do next.
to fund China’s economic they’d received from Chi- The most prominent of the It cites as one example a An FBI spokeswoman de-
and military development nese institutions. programs, known as the Virginia Tech researcher clined to comment on the
with taxpayer dollars,” the “The U.S. academic com- Thousand Talents Plan, has who was accused of using report ahead of a Senate
report says. munity is in the crosshairs gone underground amid NSF grants for research he hearing Tuesday on the
The report is the most re- of not only foreign com- heightened U.S. scrutiny, knew had already been same topic.
cent government study petitors contending for the with some Chinese gov- done in China. But FBI officials previously
to analyze Chinese intel- best and brightest, but also ernment websites deleted In a statement Monday, told AP that the bureau
lectual property theft on of foreign nation states that online references to it. But the NSF said it is in the pro- had received consistently
college campuses and to seek to transfer valuable in- it’s continued operating, cess of clarifying policy positive feedback from
scrutinize the shortcom- tellectual capital and steal and participants are asked guidance for researchers universities about the out-
ings of the government intellectual property,” the to sign legally binding con- on requirements to disclose reach efforts, and that the
agencies in addressing report states. “As the aca- tracts that include non- foreign and domestic fund- FBI is committed to helping
the problem. It focuses on demic community looks to disclosure agreements and ing. It has also barred mem- universities understand the
Chinese programs that re- the federal government for that make clear that Chi- bers of its workforce from scope of the threat and
cruit scientists with access guidance and direction on nese institutions will main- participating in talent re- how to protect their re-
to cutting-edge technol- mitigating threats, the U.S. tain the rights to at least cruitment programs oper- search.
ogy in the U.S., incentivizing government must provide some of the intellectual ated by certain countries, They said they consider
them to conduct research effective, useful, timely and property created by the re- and has commissioned a the briefings vital because
for Beijing’s gain and even specific threat information searcher in the U.S. study on how to “maintain they say universities, ac-
to steal the work of aca- and tools to counter the The report singles out mul- balance between open- customed to fostering inter-
demics in America. In re- threats.” tiple agencies for criticism, ness and security of sci- national and collaborative
cent years, the report says, The report takes aim at saying for instance that the ence.” environments, haven't his-
those programs have been the lack of transparency in National Science Founda- “This is a challenging and torically been as attentive
exploited by scientists who how the programs are run, tion — which funds about a important issue,” an NSF to security as they should
have downloaded sensitive recommending that agen- quarter of all federally fund- statement said. be.q