Stealing U.S. Science R&DU.S.-Funded Research, Scientists Help China’s Drive to Become World S&T Leader
The U.S. government has so far failed to stop China from stealing intellectual property from American universities. Moreover, the Trump administration lacks a comprehensive strategy for dealing with the threat. These are the conclusions of a new report issued on Monday by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The report says problem is especially urgent because billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded research have “contributed to China’s global rise over the last twenty years” and to its goal of becoming a world leader in science and technology by 2050.
The U.S. government has so far failed to stop China from stealing intellectual property from American universities. Moreover, the Trump administration lacks a comprehensive strategy for dealing with the threat.
These are the conclusions of a new report, Threats to the U.S. Research Enterprise: China’s Talent Recruitment Plans, issued on Monday by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The report says that the FBI should be more persistent, effective, and consistent in warning it issues to colleges, universities, and research centers about the threat of Chinese economic and industrial espionage. The report also says that government agencies which award research grants or provide visas for scientists do not do enough to monitor or track the recipients of these awards, and asserts that universities and research organizations themselves must do a much better job identifying foreign funding sources and conflicts of interest among scientists on their campuses.
The report says problem is especially urgent because billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded research have “contributed to China’s global rise over the last twenty years” and to its goal of becoming a world leader in science and technology by 2050.
Here are the report’s “Executive Summary” and “Findings of Fact and Recommendations”:
Executive Summary
American taxpayers contribute over $150 billion each year to scientific research in the United States. Through entities like the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy’s National Labs, taxpayers fund innovations that contribute to our national security and profoundly change the way we live. America built this successful research enterprise on certain values: reciprocity, integrity, merit-based competition, and transparency. These values foster a free exchange of ideas, encourage the most rigorous research results to flourish, and ensure that researchers receive the benefit of their intellectual capital. The open nature of research in America is manifest; we encourage our researchers and scientists to “stand on the shoulders of giants.” In turn, America attracts the best and brightest. Foreign researchers and scholars travel to the United States just to participate in the advancement of science and technology.
